Without You
by emodinosaurX3
Summary: The lost story of Tom Riddle in his early years at Hogwarts, and surprisingly, his love interest. Discover how Nessa Sterling's and Tom Riddle's close friendship turns into dust and find out if it will ever mend, maybe even into something more.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Kids scurried through the narrow hallways, chasing each other with streamers and paddles. Small girls pushed worn out carriages with destroyed dolls and teddy bears.

Our story starts off in an orphanage in London. The matron of the orphanage, Mrs. Cole, is just calling all the children down for a special meeting; a "surprise" she calls it.

As the kids—from all ages; from three year olds to sixteen year olds—scurry to the large lobby of the orphanage, they see someone not familiar at all.

"Children, I want you to meet Nessa Sterling. She's new here and I want you to be especially kind to her," Mrs. Cole announces in a kind, hearty voice. The small brunette hides shyly behind Mrs. Cole as some of the younger girls rush up to her, excited.

"Hi Nessa! My name's Beth! Let's play dolls!" says one girl with long, blonde hair and sparkly blue eyes.

"Yeah! I love that game! Come on, Nessa! I'll let you use Lorelai. She's one of my favorites," says another girl with short, black hair and big brown eyes. Shy little Nessa does not move from her spot. She still clutched on to Mrs. Cole long skirt.

Mrs. Cole smiles down at Nessa. "It's okay, deary, you go and play with those girls. They're really nice and I'm sure you'll have a grand time!" Nessa looks back at the group of girls wanting to play with her and motions a tiny nod. She lets go of Mrs. Cole's skirt and slowly goes to play with the girls. Beth grabs hold of Nessa's hand and skips merrily upstairs.

The children part and return back to what they were doing earlier. However, one boy, around the age of five, slumps back on the stairs.

Mrs. Cole trails over to him and gives him one of her heart-warming smiles.

"Tom, is something the matter? Why don't you go play with Henry or Bill?" she asks. "They're up in Henry's room playing with toy soldiers," she motions upstairs. Tom looks down, away from Mrs. Cole's friendly face. "Tom?"

"I'm fine," he grunts finally as he stands up and begins walking up the flight of stairs. Mrs. Cole looks at him curiously before heading toward the kitchen to prepare lunch.

As the quiet, dark-haired boy passes dorms where other orphans sleep, he wonders about the new girl. Just being reminded of her shy face made his stomach feel strange. He shook his head to rid of the thoughts.

Then, he passed by a room where the group of girls had taken Nessa away to play with dolls. He spotted her immediately from the group.

She was very cute. Big, shy brown eyes with a dainty nose and small figure. She was very petite, but then again, she was only around five years of age. Her long brown hair covered her adorable face.

Nessa looked out at him. She widened her eyes and turned away, nervously. Tom looked at her in confusion. The other girls turned to see Tom standing in the doorway.

"Tom! This is a girls-only room! You can't be here!" screeched Beth, the blonde. Tom narrowed his eyes, taking one last look at Nessa, who, throughout the corner of her eye, was looking back at him and walked off.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

The days passed by and Nessa was instantly accepted everywhere she went. The other children thought she was absolutely adorable and they all found her very kind, sweet and fun. Yet, there were times when she was too shy, everyone accepted the fact that she wasn't the most outgoing person, but they still loved her.

Tom grew jealous. He didn't know that he was, but he was getting jealous that everyone got to play with Nessa, and he never had her to himself. Tom was lonely and didn't like being with the other boys, but he liked Nessa and wanted her to be his only friend, and also the other way around. He didn't want to share Nessa and because of that, he never got her to himself, which angered him.

xXx

Nessa walked down the hall of dorms in the orphanage. It had been weeks since she had arrived and all she could think about was her parents. Tears strolled down her soft cheeks as the happy memories of them lay in her mind.

She stopped at an open door and peered inside. Quickly wiping her face, she walked in, shyly. Inside was a boy with black hair and green eyes, sitting up against the headboard of his bed and staring up at the ceiling.

"Hello, Tom," she said softly. Tom perked up and shifted his head to her. His eyes widened as his cheeks slightly blushed. Nessa grabbed hold of her elbow and looked down. Her brown hair fell in her face.

"What are you doing here?" asked Tom curiously. Nessa didn't look at him, but her face heated up with anxiety. Tom shifted on his bed and hung his legs off the side. "You can come in," he said as he noticed her only standing at the doorway.

Nessa perked her head up and smiled slightly. Tom managed to return a half-smile. Nessa walked over and sat beside him.

"What brings you here? Why aren't you with Beth and Ingrid?" he asked.

Nessa swallowed. "I came…to see you," she answered softly. Nessa turned away, her smile still spread across her face. "You look so lonely up in here. I never see you play with any of the boys. Why is that, Tom?" she asked, finally looking at his face.

Tom looked into her eyes and saw them sparkle at him. Her eyes were big and brown, brown like milk chocolate that could swallow him up with love. He felt awkward as he looked at her soft, delicate face. He didn't know what feeling this was, but it was love.

Tom turned away and crossed his arms. "I'm not friends with the others," he replied. Nessa cocked her head.

"Oh…Why is that?" she asked. Tom shrugged.

"No one wants me to be their friend." he replied. Nessa's face looked a bit saddened. She did not know how long Tom had stayed at the orphanage, but she found it unfair that she was here a shorter time than him and was already friends with all the children here.

Suddenly, a smile pranced around her face. Tom noticed and looked at her, confused.

"You're my friend, Tom," she said happily. Tom widened his eyes with shock.

'I'm…her friend?' he thought. Tom looked at her smiling face. It seemed to make him happy as well. He broke into a small smile.

"Oh, thanks,"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

For the next couple of days, Nessa only spent time with Tom, and Tom enjoyed her company very much. She was the only thing that he held precious to him and it made him so happy that he was her friend.

While Nessa and Tom sat on his bed, Tom leaned in to Nessa, whispering in her ear.

"Nessa, I want to show you something," he said. Nessa smiled and nodded.

"Oh. Okay."

Tom turned his back to her and extended his arms over to a pile of toy cars. Suddenly, one of the toy cars began to levitate. Nessa gasped.

"Wow! How did you do that?" she asked, amazed. Tom grinned and shrugged.

"Dunno. Guess I'm special," he said.

"Have you showed any of the others?" she asked. Tom's grin dropped. He shook his head.

"No. I wouldn't want to anyway. I don't trust anybody here…except you," he muttered. Nessa smiled and gave him a hug. Tom blushed and patted her on the back.

"Thanks Tom. You're someone I can trust too."

xXx

When Nessa walked up the stairs and down the hall to Tom's room the next day, she was interrupted by Beth, Ingrid, Livia and Gretchen. Nessa smiled at them all, but the four did not return a smile back.

"Hi you guys. If you don't mind, I'm trying to get by so—" Beth crossed her arms.

"Where are you going? To Tom Riddle's room? Why do you hang around him? He's such a freak and he only cares about himself!" shouted Beth. Nessa narrowed her eyes.

"That's not true! Tom is not a freak and he happens to be very nice to me! He doesn't just care about himself, you know." she defended. Beth scoffed while the other girls crossed their arms as well, glaring at Nessa.

"If you keep staying around him, Nessa, you'll end up a freak like him too. Haven't you noticed that he doesn't play with the other boys? He doesn't talk at all during meals and he always locks himself up in his room all day!" Beth shouted again. Nessa was fuming with anger. Beth and the others were supposed to be her friends, why were they treating another one of Nessa's friends so cruelly? Nessa knew deep in her heart that Tom was nothing to what Beth was accusing him of being. Beth was probably jealous.

"Tom likes to be alone, that's all. And besides, we aren't supposed to talk during meals anyway; Mrs. Cole says it's impolite. Why can't you just accept Tom for who he is, Beth? You're a very nice girl, why aren't you being nice to him?"

Beth glared at Nessa hard before turning on her heels and storming away, breath blowing heavily through her nose. Nessa slumped back to Tom's room. It saddened her so much that Beth, her first friend here, was being this way, and the others weren't saying a thing about it!

"Beth's wrong…she's wrong, wrong, wrong! Tom is nothing what she said he was. Tom is sweet, kind and caring and all he needs is a friend. Well, he's got one and I'm willing to be the best friend Tom's ever had. That should change her thoughts about him!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Nessa entered Tom's room where he sat on his bed levitating different objects. Her eyes widened with amazement. Tom turned his head to see Nessa at the doorway. As he looked at her, the objects floating in mid-air dropped onto the bed.

"Hi Nessa. Why do you look so angry?" he asked. Nessa realized that she still had a bit of frustration etched in her expression. She sighed.

"It's Beth and the other girls," she said. Tom sat at the edge of his bed, a concerned expression on his face. He patted the spot next to him, motioning her to come and sit. She obeyed and walked in.

"What about…Beth?" he said, adding Beth's name with disgust.

"Beth's my friend, or at least she was, and she's saying such awful stuff about you. It's not fair," she hugged Tom around the waist. Tom widened his eyes and looked down at her, surprised. "She can't accept you as my friend! I'll show her! You're my best friend, Tom. You're the nicest person here and I've never felt more at home without you." she sniffed.

Tom didn't know what to say—in fact, he couldn't say anything after hearing that! He let Nessa tighten her squeeze around his body as he felt tiny teardrops fall on to his arms. Nessa was truly someone he loved and he couldn't live without her.

Mrs. Cole walked by Tom's room, picking up the various toys the other children left on the floor when she spotted Nessa hugging Tom. Mrs. Cole widened her eyes, shocked. She noticed Tom looking down at Nessa—who she found had tears strolling down her face—and saw the look on his face; He seemed to look unsure of what to do.

And, to her surprise, Tom wrapped an arm around Nessa's back. Mrs. Cole widened her eyes even more and finally smiled. Tom was experiencing love, and he was experiencing it well.

She walked away, trying not to ruin their special moment.

xXx

The years passed by and a lot had happened in the orphanage. Nessa knew that her heart was devoted to Tom Riddle, and Tom's heart was devoted to Nessa Sterling. Beth and the other girls no longer befriended Nessa for her actions towards Tom; instead of smiling and waving, whenever they passed by, they all sneered at her, giving her the most disgusted look. And Nessa would just ignore her, which would make Beth angry.

It turned out, Nessa Sterling and Tom Riddle ended up sharing the same birthday: December 31, 1926. Every New Years' Eve, not only would they celebrate the up-coming year, but the orphanage also celebrated the birthday of Tom and Nessa. It made Nessa and Tom closer together having so much in common…and it made the both of them very happy.

When the two of them turned eleven, a man with long silvery hair with a matching beard in strange clothing came to the orphanage. Tom and Nessa had been hanging out in Tom's room, Nessa admiring Tom's unusual talent of levitating objects.

Mrs. Cole arrived at the doorway of Tom's room with the tall man. Tom immediately stopped his power when he saw the two of them.

"What?" he grunted. "Can't Nessa and I have some alone time?" Nessa glanced at Tom.

The older man chuckled. "If it's okay with you, Mrs. Cole, I would like to have some alone time with Tom." he said. Mrs. Cole nodded.

"Nessa's not going anywhere," spat Tom as Mrs. Cole motioned for Nessa.

"Tom,"

"It's alright, madam, I'd like to talk to this young lady as well." said the man. Mrs. Cole looked up at the tall man and nodded, leaving him at the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"Me?" Nessa pointed a finger at her chest. The man nodded with a smile. His half-moon spectacles lay on the edge of the man's crooked nose and his blue eyes sparkled at them with kindness. Nessa thought the man looked very nice, but Tom thought very suspicious about him.

"So, what is it, old man? Why have you come to talk to us?" asked Tom, rudely, as he crossed his arms.

"Tom! Don't be so rude to your elders!" whispered Nessa, but the man continued to smile.

"I saw that trick you were doing…that levitation motion. Mind showing me it?" he asked. Tom raised an eyebrow.

"What's in it for you?" he asked stubbornly.

"You don't have to show me if you don't want to," the man reasoned. Tom scoffed.

"Fine, alright, alright. But only because you won't stop begging," ended Tom. The man made his way into the room and sat on the bed next to Tom's.

Tom extended his arms at a rubber ball as it began to float up into the air. The man nodded and fixed with his beard as he watched Tom. Nessa smiled at the man.

"Tom's amazing! He has super powers!" she exclaimed. Tom grinned, pleased with himself. The man smiled too.

"Yes, Mr. Riddle does have an amazing talent. But, you, Miss Sterling, also have one as well," Nessa widened her eyes, as did Tom. The rubber ball immediately fell to the ground as his connection with it broke.

"What do you mean Nessa has powers too?" he asked demandingly. His voice sounded almost disappointed.

"Me? I have…powers too?" she asked softly. The man nodded.

"Yes. But that is because you and Tom here are magic. You, Nessa, are a witch and Tom is a wizard." Nessa cocked her head.

"What rubbish is that? I'm just special, that's all!" he cried.

"Well, that may be true, but I will assure you, this is not rubbish. Tom, you come from a witch mother and a Muggle father, in whom your mother named you after. Nessa, on the other hand, comes from a Muggle family." he turned to Nessa. "Nessa, you have some extraordinary talent, coming from a family with no magic heritage. You should be very proud."

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" cried Tom. Nessa and the man turned to Tom. Tom pointed a finger at the man. "How do we know that you're not making all this up? Who are you?"

The man chuckled and stood up. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, Transfiguration professor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." he announced. "Magic, my dear boy, is real."

Tom scoffed again. "Really? Well then prove it if you're so brilliant." he sneered. Nessa was so surprised at Tom's rudeness towards the adult, it almost saddened her. She was beginning to think what Beth had told her years ago were true.

"Very well," replied Dumbledore. He whipped out a long dark stick from a pocket of his overcoat. He pointed it at Tom's wardrobe as it burst into flames. Tom and Nessa yelped.

"Stop! Stop! What are you doing?" he shouted. Dumbledore's stick released the flames. Tom and Nessa noticed that not a single flame had damaged the wardrobe. They looked bewilderedly up at Dumbledore.

"How on earth did you manage that? There's not a scratch on it!" exclaimed Nessa. Dumbledore smiled widely.

"That is magic."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Tom couldn't make an excuse for this, he knew it, but he didn't want to give in to the old man.

"Magic, huh?" he said. "What else can you do with it?"

"Ah, all the wonders of magic," sighed Dumbledore. "There is so much you can do with magic, Tom. But, magic isn't always used for the fun of it. Magic can be used as a weapon for the good and evil. It can be very dangerous, depending on what spell."

"Do they teach the evil magic at…Hogwarts?" asked Tom, suddenly interested in this.

"Heavens no! Hogwarts would be shut down if we taught Dark magic! What we teach is really what magic you need to know. There is so much to learn at Hogwarts, and the reason I've come to see you both is to tell you that you have been accepted to the school! Here are your letters," Dumbledore reached into his pocket again and pulled out two beige letters. He handed one each to the children.

The two of them opened the letters, noticing the red seal on the back with the Hogwarts emblem sunk into it. The emblem was of an H with a lion, a serpent, a badger and an eagle surrounding it.

They took out their letters and read while Dumbledore watched their faces with eagerness. Nessa's face lit up while Tom's face stayed focused on the letter.

"This sounds so exciting! We're really going to a magic school?" she exclaimed.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. Hogwarts will do you both wonders there. Of course, you do have the choice not to go," he added, looking at Tom. Tom glanced up at Dumbledore.

"Who, me? Of course I want to go! I'd be a lunatic if I didn't!" he cried. Dumbledore smiled while Nessa squealed, clutching her letter and rereading it again.

"Well, with that in mind, I will send a letter to the school, stating that you are indeed willing to go to Hogwarts. Now, about the list of supplies," he took out another piece of parchment folded in with the letter out of Nessa's envelope and handed it to her. Tom searched for his.

"This list tells you what you will need for Hogwarts." he explained. Nessa and Tom read over the list.

"Cauldrons? A set of brass scales? Where do you find all of this?" asked Nessa.

"You can find everything there in Diagon Alley." Nessa's face twisted with confusion. "I'll show you where it is, don't worry," Nessa nodded.

"A wand…Is that that stick you used to set my wardrobe on fire?" asked Tom. Dumbledore laughed.

"Yes, this is a wand," he said, holding up his own wand.

"Wow, I want one just like that," murmured Tom. Dumbledore smiled at Tom's marveling.

"Everybody gets a different wand, Tom. But you will be able to use the Fire-Casting Charm with your wand as well, along with hundreds of other spells you will be learning." said Dumbledore. Tom grew a grin.

Dumbledore stood and straightened out his overcoat. He stuck his wand back into his pocket.

"Well, I best be off. I need to head back to the school before the students return from winter break." said Dumbledore.

"Wait!" cried Nessa. "Will you be back to tell us more about Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore smiled kindly at her. She was such a gentle girl, very kind, very adorable.

"I'm sorry, dear, I will be teaching. But, I will come back for you on August 29 to shop for your school supplies. School starts on September 1, but we can stay at the Leaky Cauldron for the night so that you won't need to come back to the orphanage…not that this place isn't too shabby…" added Dumbledore quickly.

"Will we ever come back to the orphanage?" asked Nessa.

"At least not until the school year ends for Hogwarts. During the summer you will come back here. And when the summer is over, you will come back to Hogwarts again to start your second year."

"We have to come back…here?" asked Tom, disappointed. Dumbledore nodded.

"I'm afraid so. There will be no other place for you to stay. This orphanage is your home, Mrs. Cole is your guardian and therefore, Hogwarts holds her responsible for you while you are here." Tom sighed.

"Well, I bid you both a happy birthday and I look forward to our next visit." Dumbledore bowed his head to the both of them and walked out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Tom and Nessa waited eagerly for the summer. They barricaded themselves in Tom's room more often just to talk excitedly about Hogwarts. Mrs. Cole was informed that the two of them would be leaving in the summer, escorted by Dumbledore.

"What do you think it will be like?" asked Nessa, excitedly. Tom merely shrugged, trying not to show Nessa too much of his excitement.

"Dunno," he answered.

"I think it's going to be brilliant! We can learn magic together! How much fun will that be?" she said, clapping her hands.

"Very, I suppose," assumed Tom.

xXx

The summer finally ended and on the day that Dumbledore promised, he arrived at the orphanage for Tom and Nessa.

Tom and Nessa had packed all they're belongings in two large trunks that Mrs. Cole had given them. Dumbledore appeared at the doorway of Tom's room.

"Are you ready?" he asked Tom. Tom nodded and lugged the trunk out of the room.

"Ah, no need for that," said Dumbledore as he took out his wand and waved it at the trunk, making it disappear. Tom gaped at him while Dumbledore smiled. "Now, shall we go ahead and wait for Miss Nessa?" he offered. Tom nodded and led him towards Nessa's dorm.

Nessa was just barely clasping the latch of her trunk when they arrived. She turned around and smiled at them both.

"Hello. Just making sure that I had everything. Oh I'm so excited! Thank you so much, Mr. Dumbledore!" she squealed. Dumbledore raised a hand in appreciation.

"It's no trouble at all. Oh, and because I will be your teacher at school, please refer to me as Professor Dumbledore—it's the proper way to address the staff there," he noted. Nessa nodded. Dumbledore waved his wand at her trunk as it disappeared as well. Nessa widened her eyes.

"Wow!" she exclaimed.

"Now, shall we get going?" he asked the both of them. Nessa jerked her head up and down while Tom slightly nodded. The two of them followed Dumbledore down the stairs.

"This is so exciting!" Nessa whispered to Tom, grasping his hand and squeezing it tightly. Tom looked down at his hand as he felt Nessa's soft, gentle hand grasp hold of his. The warm feeling erupted inside of him again.

"Mrs. Cole," announced Dumbledore as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "I thank you very much for letting me take these two wonderful children away to my school. I promise you, this will not be the last time you see them; they will be back next summer." he mentioned. Mrs. Cole nodded, dabbing her eyes with a white handkerchief and hugging both children with her loving arms.

"Be good, Nessa, Tom. Do well," she sniffed. Nessa smiled and nodded. Tom glanced away and slightly nodded as well.

"Bye Nessa! Bye!" shouted some other children. Nessa waved back to them, smiling widely. Tom watched as he saw all the attention Nessa received. Nessa looked at Beth, who was surrounded by Ingrid, Livia and Gretchen. Nessa could see a hint of kindness in Beth's face as she looked at her and waved good-bye.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Nessa and Tom walked side-by-side next to Dumbledore as he led the two orphans into town. They walked along the busy streets, gazing up at all the buildings and shops, for they had never been out in town before.

They stopped at a shabby looking pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Dumbledore led them inside.

"Isn't this the place where we're staying?" asked Nessa. Dumbledore nodded.

"Hello Tom!" he waved. Tom looked up at Dumbledore.

"Er, sir…I'm right here." he said. Dumbledore looked down at him and gave out a hearty laugh.

"Oh, yes, right. Tom, this is Tom, the bartender here for the Leaky Cauldron." explained Dumbledore. Tom eyed the bartender sheepishly. "Tom, this here's Tom Riddle. I'm bringing him and this young lady to Diagon Alley for Hogwarts shopping."

Tom the Bartender smiled at the two kids. He looked at Nessa in particular.

"All ready for Hogwarts, eh? What might be your name, ma'am?" he asked.

"I'm Nessa, sir, Nessa Sterling," she replied sweetly. The bartender sighed.

"Ah, Nessa, love that name, very peaceful," he said. Nessa smiled.

"We'll be staying for the next two nights, Tom. Is that okay?" asked Dumbledore. Tom the Bartender scoffed.

"'Is—is that okay?' Albus! Of course you can stay! This pub wasn't built without rooms for nothin' you know." cried Tom. Dumbledore chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Alright then, it's settled. Thank you for your assistance, Tom. We'll be back later on today." he said and led the children to the back of the pub. He led them into a small courtyard that was in the rear side of the pub and tapped his wand on an assortment of bricks. Then, the bricks trembled and sorted themselves into two evenly kept walls, exposing the entry way to Diagon Alley.

Nessa and Tom gaped at the sight of the magical town. There were witches and wizards wandering all over in different colored capes, some witches sporting the traditional pointed witch hat.

"Now, because both you're parents could not leave you any money, I'll offer to buy you both your school supplies," said Dumbledore, kindly. Nessa gasped.

"Oh Professor Dumbledore! Will you really?" she asked, gratefully. Dumbledore smiled and placed his hand on her head, ruffling her brown hair.

"Of course, my dear. It's the least I can offer," he replied. "Now, I recommend we get you your books first, before Flourish and Blotts gets too crowded." Tom and Nessa nodded as they followed Dumbledore to the book store.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The threesome entered the bookstore. All along every inch of the stores' walls were books, towering and towering on top of each other. They were large ones as big as boulders and small ones as small as the ball of a pin. Nessa and Tom marveled over all the assortment of books while Dumbledore chose out two of each of the school texts they needed.

After Dumbledore had bought the children's text books, he waved his wand and the two stacks disappeared back to their room at the Leaky Cauldron. Nessa crossed off the text books on her list while Tom copied her act.

"What do you suppose we buy next?" she piped up. Nessa was really into Diagon Alley and all the magic shops excited her, bringing her out of her shell. Tom looked down at his list again.

"Do you think we should buy our school uniform? It says here that we need three sets of plain black work robes, one plain black pointed hat, one pair of protective gloves—dragon hide or similar? Dragon hide gloves?" Tom asked curiously. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Dragon hide is very strong material, my dear boy. Better off with dragon hide than anything else." advised Dumbledore. "Go ahead and read off the rest of the list." Tom nodded.

"And we need one winter cloak: black with silver fastenings." Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.

"Aha, let's head off to Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions—the most likely place to buy them." suggested Dumbledore as he led them off farther down the cobblestone road.

"Hello, Madame Malkin?" announced Dumbledore as he opened the door. A squat woman dressed in mauve robes looked up at Dumbledore with a hear-warming smile that reminded both the orphans of Mrs. Cole.

"Albus Dumbledore! Oh do come in! Such a pleasure to see you again! It's been so many years!" she exclaimed.

Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "Indeed, it has," he replied.

"And who are these two children?" she asked, clapping her hands together.

"Ah, this is Tom Riddle and Nessa Sterling. They're here for their robes; they're starting Hogwarts for their first year." explained Dumbledore. Madame Malkin squealed with excitement.

"How fascinating! Wonderful school, that is! They will have such a grand time." Nessa smiled at the woman; Tom glanced away, still attached to Nessa's side.

"Well, shall we start with the young lady? Come over here, deary. Up on the stool…atta girl!" Tom watched as Madame Malkin measured Nessa with magical measuring tape while Madame Malkin began sewing together fabrics for her robes. In a matter of short time, Nessa was dressed in long black robes. Nessa smiled happily at Tom.

"How do I look, Tom?" she asked as she began to model for him. Tom gulped and scratched the back of his head, looking away from her.

"Brilliant," he answered softly. 'But she looks absolutely beautiful,' he thought.

Nessa hopped off the stool after Madame Malkin created two more sets of robes for her. Nessa rushed over to Tom. "It's your turn!" she squealed and shoved him softly toward Madame Malkin as he climbed up on the stool. Tom looked back at Nessa, her smiling face shining brightly with affection towards him. He looked away from her.

'What is this feeling? What do they call this? Is this…love?'


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Nessa pranced around in her new robes around Dumbledore and Tom. Dumbledore chuckled at Nessa's excitement.

"I love my new robes! Thank you so much, Professor Dumbledore! You're the greatest!" she gave Dumbledore a huge squeeze. Dumbledore pat Nessa on the head.

"You're quite welcome, Nessa,"

Throughout the rest of the day, Dumbledore, Nessa and Tom shopped for their school supplies. Dumbledore went ahead and bought Nessa a Calico kitten—who she named Tommy, after Tom—and Tom a black owl—who he named Shadow. At the end of the day, Dumbledore treated the children to some ice-cream from the famous Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor. As they all licked their ice-cream cones, Dumbledore led them back to the Leaky Cauldron.

"What a day, don't you think?" sighed Dumbledore as he dropped all of the bags he had been holding of school necessities. He took out his wand at waved it at the shopping bags, making them disappear back to the room where he kept the text books. Nessa fed her kitten, Tommy, some of her ice-cream cone.

"You're owl is beautiful, Tom," complemented Nessa. Tom looked at Shadow; he was indeed a beautiful bird, with black silky feathers and golden beady eyes. Tom nodded.

"Why did you name your cat after me?" he asked. Nessa smiled at him.

"Why not? You're my best friend and I want Tommy to know that he was named after the greatest friend who ever lived." she smiled. "Besides, you have a very nice name." Tom blushed as Nessa giggled.

"Thanks," he muttered to her.

As the moon rose, Tom and Nessa settled into their worn, but comfy, beds. Tommy nestled up against Nessa's chest. Tom watched as she stroked his fur gently, like a baby.

'Nessa really is a caring person. She's so loving and nice and pretty—' Tom grabbed hold of his stomach. The feeling inside him was churning inside and he felt extremely awkward. Nessa looked at him through the dark.

"I'm so excited for Hogwarts, especially since it's only two days away!" she whispered. Tom nodded.

"Yeah, me too," he replied. Nessa smiled at him.

"You know, I'm really glad that it was only us two that got accepted to Hogwarts from the orphanage. I don't think it would have been this much fun if someone else had tagged along," said Nessa. Tom looked deeply into her eyes—she was serious. He could feel the love that she was sending to him as he accepted it inside his heart. He felt happy to be with her, and he felt the same way.

"Me too. I'm really happy it was just the two of us." Tom replied. Nessa smiled even wider.

"Well," she said with one last stroke to Tommy's head. "good night. I'll see you in the morning!" she said and Tom watched as she slowly closed her eyelids, covering her beautiful brown eyes. Tom nodded.

"Yeah, good night,"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Tom awoke to see Nessa sleeping peacefully in the bed directly next to him. She looked so soft, more gentle than usual, while she was in her deep slumber. And it made Tom smile.

Tommy, however, was awake. He leapt over onto Tom's bed and softly licked his face with his small, rough tongue. Tom smiled a small smile at the kitten and rubbed his belly.

Tom got out of bed and walked down the creaky staircase to the pub. He found Dumbledore sitting at the long table, alone, sipping some morning coffee. Dumbledore turned to acknowledge Tom's presence and smiled.

"Good morning Tom. Sleep well?" he greeted. Tom nodded and pulled up a chair next to Dumbledore. He noticed the newspaper that Dumbledore had in front of him.

"The pictures…they move!" exclaimed Tom. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes. This is the Daily Prophet, the wizarding newspaper. You will find that every photograph and portrait here in this world tend to move. Don't be alarmed at Hogwarts when you see the people in paintings traveling from one frame to another." chuckled Dumbledore. Tom nodded.

"Mornin' youngster! What'll it be for breakfast?" asked Tom the Bartender from over the counter. A dirty wash rag hung from his shoulder. Tom shrugged.

"Give him your special, Tom." suggested Dumbledore. He leaned in to young Tom. "You'll like it, I promise. Tom makes very good porridge," Tom nodded.

"Aha! Here we are! The Cauldron's specialty: cinnamon and yam-berry porridge with a side of honey-crusted toast and a glass of orange juice!" announced Tom the Bartender as he served Tom a bowl of porridge with a piece of toast sticking out of it and a tall glass of orange juice.

"Thank you, sir," said Tom as he looked up at the bartender.

"Oh, what smells so good?" asked a sweet voice coming down the stairs. Tom quickly turned his head to see Nessa, Tommy in her arms, in her purple nighty walking towards them.

"That, my dear, would be young Tom's breakfast. What, might I ask, will you be having?" asked the bartender.

"I'll have what he's having for sure!" answered Nessa as she sat down next to Tom, laying Tommy in her lap. She peered over at Tom's breakfast. "Wow Tom, you sure do have a good sense of appetite!" Tom grinned slightly at her.

Tom brought Nessa her breakfast.

"Oooh, Tom this looks delicious! Thank you!" exclaimed Nessa as she scooped a spoon into the soft porridge. Dumbledore watched the two eat their breakfast.

"Well, tomorrow's the big day. I'll take you to King's Cross Station where the two of you will aboard the platform 9 ¾ and—"

"9 ¾? There's no such thing as a platform 9¾!" exclaimed Tom. Dumbledore chuckled again.

"Ah yes, my dear boy, but didn't you also say that there was no such thing as magic? You simply thought that you levitating objects was merely just a super-power." Dumbledore said. Tom looked back down at his porridge and didn't respond, but fed himself a spoonful.

"How exactly do we board onto a platform that isn't a full number?" asked Nessa.

"Well, you'll see how to board Platform 9 ¾ tomorrow morning. But for now, eat up your porridge. We don't want Tom's wonderful breakfast to go to any sort of waste now do we?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

The two of them spent the whole day at the Leaky Cauldron. Nessa begged Tom to play tag with her inside the pub and shyly, Tom agreed. He chased her around the tables, up and down the stairs and through the halls while she screamed playfully. Tom looked at her brown hair flowing in back of her as she ran. It made him smile even more that it was he who was causing her laughter.

Tom caught up to Nessa as he grabbed her shoulder. She shrieked and laughed.

"Darn it! Now I'm it! Here I come, Tom!" she cried as she began to chase Tom around.

Dumbledore watched them from the table as he saw them pass by. He chuckled. He loved seeing the children play with each other; it was so wonderful to see their friendship blossom into a bigger flower. Nessa never failed to keep Tom smiling.

And that was the magical thing about Nessa: Not only did she make Tom smile, but everybody smiled when they were down, if Nessa was around, that is. She seemed to be some sort of miracle worker of happiness.

"Got you Tom!" she cried. "You're it!" Her giggles echoed through the pub as she ran the opposite way from Tom, heading for the stairs. Nessa ran down the hall, looking back to see how far Tom was from her, when she ran her head into someone. She fell back onto the floor.

"Hey! Ow…Watch it, will you, you klutz!" cried an angry boy. Nessa looked up at him; he looked a lot older than herself, maybe two or three years older, and he sported long black robes a lot like the ones Nessa and Tom had bought at Madame Malkin's. On the right side of his chest was a greenish badge sewn onto it. The brunette boy sneered at her.

"Lookit what we have here! A little tike, by the looks of it!" exclaimed the boy rudely, his glaring brown eyes looking straight through her. Nessa gulped as she crawled backwards. The boy laughed cruelly. "Hah! Whatcha gonna do now? Cry for your mummy?"

Suddenly, a flash of black hair guarded Nessa and punched the older boy in the face. Nessa widened her eyes to see Tom standing over her, holding his fist up to the boy.

"Tom," she whispered.

"Leave her alone, you creep!" shouted Tom, readying himself to strike the boy again. The boy felt his nose as red blood smeared onto his hand. The boy glared hard at Tom, but Tom did not flinch. He whipped out a wand and pointed it at Tom.

"I'm going to make you sorry you ever touched me, you little brat!" he spat as he began to mutter some words neither Nessa nor Tom could hear. As a bright white light began to form at the tip of his wand, a tall figure stood in the way, blocking the spell.

Tom and Nessa widened their eyes, as did the brunette boy.

"Pro—professor Dumbledore!" he cried. Dumbledore's blue eyes narrowed at the boy.

"Not doing under-aged magic outside of school, eh Mr. Henson?" asked Dumbledore sternly. The boy shook his head rigorously.

"N—no sir! None at all!" he whimpered.

"Really. So I suppose there will be no need for that to be out, am I right?" asked Dumbledore, glancing at the boy's wand. The boy hesitated.

"N—no sir. No need for this. I'll put it away right now…" Tom and Nessa watched as the boy fumbled with his wand, shoving it back into his robes. Dumbledore smiled.

"Good. See you tomorrow at school, Jeremy," said Dumbledore as he bid the boy good-bye. The boy nodded and quickly took off the opposite direction.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Tom looked back at Nessa. She flashed him a small smile as he offered her a hand. After Tom had helped Nessa up, he asked Dumbledore, "Professor, who was that boy?"

"He's a student at Hogwarts; Jeremy Henson, third year in Slytherin. He's a bit moody," Dumbledore added softly. Nessa giggled. "But he's a great kid once you get to know him."

Tom folded his arms across his chest. "Well, I don't like him at all, nor will I ever! He made Nessa fall to the ground and yelled at her!" Nessa looked at Tom with big sparkling brown eyes as she listened to him stand up for her. She placed a hand on her heart; she felt it smiling.

Dumbledore didn't say anything but marveled at Tom's protectiveness. He really was determined to keep Nessa safe at all costs.

xXx

Dumbledore had excused the two children up to their room after dinner to get ready for bed. Dumbledore allowed Nessa to dress in his bedroom while he sat downstairs, chatting with Tom the Bartender.

Tom sat on his bed, which was closest to the door. Shadow sat in his cage, his golden eyes shining. He walked over to the bird and opened his cage, stroking his silky feathers gently.

"You really are a beautiful bird," he complemented as the owl hooted a thank-you. But, perhaps he had gotten the bird was because Nessa really liked it. He remembered when they were shopping in Eeylops Owl Emporium, when Nessa had pointed out the gorgeous black owl with silky feathers. Tom had been browsing through some other cages of owls, but when he heard Nessa's exclaims over Shadow, he knew that it would be the perfect one.

Nessa entered the bedroom in her purple nighty. She noticed Tom stroking Shadow's feathers. She smiled at Tom's affection. Tom glanced her way and stopped stroking Shadow.

"Hi Nessa," he muttered. Nessa giggled.

"Um, hello Tom," she said as she bounced onto her bed. She sighed. "Tomorrow's the big day, huh?"

Tom nodded, sitting on his own bed in his own pajamas—a long white t-shirt and a pair of faded green pajama bottoms that he was growing out of. He needed new pajamas, considering he's had the ones he wore since he was seven.

Nessa squealed as she picked up Tommy, placing him in her lap. "Oh I'm so excited! I can't help but think what it's going to be like! What about you? Are you excited too?" Tom looked into her eyes, her deep, brown, sparkling, loving eyes. He sighed quietly.

"Tom?" Nessa asked confused. Tom realized he had been staring at her.

"Oh, um, sorry," he muttered, looking away from her. Nessa smiled.

"Oh Tom, no need to apologize. Hogwarts is getting to you too, isn't it?" she asked, giving him a big smile. Tom smiled slightly as well and nodded.

"I suppose so," he replied.

Nessa glanced out the window and sighed. The dark night was sprinkled with tiny white stars and a big round moon was shedding off its white light.

"The moon looks beautiful tonight," she said softly. Tom looked at Nessa.

'Just like you,' he thought.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Throughout his slumber, all Tom dreamed about was the beautiful brunette girl sleeping in the bed next to him. Her sweet soft voice rang like music through his ears while her gentle hands clung onto his, dragging him away off into the distance.

"Nessa," he muttered quietly.

"Tom! Tom, wake up!" said an excited voice. He felt somebody shake him gently as he slowly opened his eyes. He saw the smiling face that belonged to Nessa Sterling.

"Tom! We're leaving for Hogwarts today! Hurry up and get dressed!" she cried as she rushed out of the room. Tom sat up in bed, resting his head in his hands.

"Wow, what a dream," he sighed as his memories rewound in his head.

"Tom," her voice echoed in his mind. "Tom, I lo—" He shook his head.

"Stop that! Stop it, stop it!" he shouted softly. He groaned and threw the bed sheets off of him, digging in his trunk for his clothes.

As he walked down the stairs, he found Nessa and Dumbledore at the long table, eating their breakfast. Nessa was served a plate of yam waffles topped with strawberries and a glass of milk. He watched as Nessa stuffed chunks of waffle into her mouth. He smiled at her.

"Tom, glad that you're finally awake," said Dumbledore. "Come down and Tom will serve you some breakfast. Do you find what Nessa is eating appealing?" Tom nodded and pulled up a chair across from Nessa and Dumbledore. Nessa swallowed and took a gulp of milk.

"I'm so excited! We're finally heading off to Hogwarts!" she squealed once she swallowed her milk. She stuffed another piece of waffle in her mouth quickly.

"Whoa whoa there, Nessa. Slow down, we have plenty of time before the train leaves," said Dumbledore as he noticed Nessa scarffing down yam waffles. Tom chuckled softly as Nessa looked up at Dumbledore with cheeks full of food.

After the children had finished their breakfast, Dumbledore and Tom brought down the children's luggage. Nessa held Tommy in her arms while Dumbledore brought down his carrier and she had to put him back in.

Tom the Bartender led the three of them to a fireplace. Tom and Nessa exchanged confused glances.

"We will be traveling by Floo powder, children," announced Dumbledore.

"Floo powder?" asked Nessa and Tom in unison. The bartender picked up a bowl attached to the fireplace and held it down to them.

"This is the Floo powder. You take a handful of it and drop it into the fireplace, clearly stating your destination. 'Course, you've gotta be in the fireplace to do so." explained Tom.

"You want us to stand in the fireplace?" asked Nessa in disbelief.

"Come in here, children," ordered Dumbledore as he stepped into the fireplace, being careful not to hit his head. Nessa and Tom looked at each other again as they shrugged and followed Dumbledore. They climbed in, standing on Dumbledore's either side.

"Now, take some of the Floo powder," said Dumbledore as he, himself, took a handful of the dirt-like substance. Nessa grabbed her powder and Tom after.

"Now, on three, throw the powder down and shout, very clearly, King's Cross Station. Okay?" instructed Dumbledore. "One," he started. "Two…Three!"

"King's Cross Station!" The three chorused as they threw their powder onto the ground and blew up in green flames.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

The next thing Nessa and Tom knew was that they were sliding out of a fireplace and into a different room, one that was much cleaner than the Leaky Cauldron, and more, well, nicer. It turns out, while Nessa and Tom were traveling through the fireplaces, they had clung on to each other. When they opened their eyes, they saw that they were still in the same position.

Tom was the first to let go. He stood up and brushed himself off, blushing madly. He turned to hide his face from Nessa as she stood up to brush herself off from all the charcoal.

Dumbledore was already standing next to the door of the room they were in.

"This way, you two," he said, motioning for them to come. Nessa and Tom nodded as they followed Dumbledore. But Dumbledore stopped them from exiting the room.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed and with a wave of his wand, the children's luggage appeared right before their eyes. "Now, let's go find yourselves a trolley to carry all this on." he said as Nessa and Tom dragged their belongings out of the room.

When they found trolleys, Dumbledore helped stack the trunks and cages onto them and led them down the station. Giant black trains sat looking quite majestically as they waited for their time to leave. Nessa and Tom noticed passers-by giving the threesome odd glances.

"Um, sir, why is everybody looking at us odd?" asked Nessa quietly.

"Oh, don't be bothered by them. The Muggles don't know anything about magic." he explained.

"But, sir, I'm a Muggle, aren't I?"

"Well, you were a Muggle. Muggle is the term for non-magic folk. You, Nessa, are magic, so that makes you a Muggle-born. That makes you special." Tom looked at Nessa.

"Am I the only Muggle-born witch?" she asked.

"Well, you are one of the few. There are quite a few at Hogwarts, so it's not likely that you won't meet any." he said. Nessa nodded.

"Um, Professor, are we anywhere near Platform 9 ¾?" asked Tom. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Ah Tom, we're almost there, don't worry."

Soon, they came to a wall which separated the platforms nine and ten.

"Here we are!" announced Dumbledore. Tom and Nessa stared at the wall.

"Um, sir, this is platforms nine and ten. Where's Platform 9 ¾?" asked Nessa. Dumbledore grinned down at Nessa's curiosity.

"Platform 9 ¾ is straight through that wall." he said. Tom and Nessa looked at each other, exchanging odd glances.

"Sir?" Tom asked in confusion.

"Go on…You run straight through the wall. It won't hurt a bit. Nessa, why don't you try it," suggested Dumbledore. Nessa jerked her head up to Dumbledore, a worried expression on her face. Dumbledore smiled down at her.

"Don't worry, Nessa. I promise you will be fine. I would never put you in any danger." Nessa knew his words were true as she nodded and focused on the wall.

"Ready," calmed Dumbledore. "I suggest you take it at a bit of a run, for starters. I find it much easier myself." Nessa nodded again as she ran her trolley towards the barrier. Tom widened her eyes as she disappeared into the wall.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Tom looked up at Dumbledore, shocked.

"She's…she's…"

"See? It's completely safe! Go ahead Tom. Go and join Nessa—I'm sure she's waiting for you on the other side," taunted Dumbledore. Tom raised his eyebrows with suspicion. He shook away his thoughts and only focused on the wall.

"Remember, running a head start may be useful," suggested Dumbledore once again. Tom nodded and began to run towards the wall. He closed his eyes as he ran through the wall.

He felt no collision. Did he even hit the wall?

Tom opened his eyes and widened them.

In front of him sat a huge scarlet train with the words "Hogwarts Express" written in golden letters on the front. He glanced around and saw other children, some around his age, some a lot older, and also their parents, bidding them good-bye.

"Tom! Tom!" cried a familiar voice. Nessa ran towards him, Tommy in her arms.

"Nessa," he said.

"Tom, you made it through! Wasn't that frightening? I have to admit, I was scared at first. I was so frightened that I was going to black out when I hit the wall. But then, after I felt no collision, I opened my eyes and saw this spectacular train! Isn't this amazing?" she exclaimed, talking all at once. Tom nodded.

"Nessa, where are your belongings?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, everything is already boarded on the train. Come on, let's get you settled!" she said, tugging on his arm.

"But shouldn't we wait for Professor Dumbledore?" asked Tom.

"I'm already here," said the kind voice in back of him. Tom turned to see Professor Dumbledore's smiling face. "Had no trouble with the barrier I see," he observed. Nessa giggled and tugged on Tom's sleeve some more.

"Come, Tom, I'll show you where I'm sitting." she dragged Tom towards the train as Dumbledore followed.

Nessa climbed onto the train, Tom in back of her. Dumbledore helped carry Tom's luggage on as Nessa led them to her compartment.

"Here we are!" exclaimed Nessa as she slid open the door. Tom made his way in as Dumbledore lugged his trunk onto the racks above them. Dumbledore sighed with a huge smile.

"You two have a splendid train ride," he said. "I will see you at the school."

"Good-bye Professor! See you soon!" waved Nessa as she waved Tommy's paw as well. Tom looked Dumbledore in the eye and nodded, bidding him fair well.

Dumbledore walked out of the compartment, shutting the door behind him. Tom sat down next to Nessa.

"This is going to be so exciting!" she exclaimed as the train began to move. She gasped. "Tom! We're moving! Oh this is going to be so much fun!" she squealed. Tom smiled as he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, so much fun,"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

As the train began to move, Nessa cradled Tommy in her arms while Tom watched Nessa care. He loved the way she was so affectionate towards all creatures and how she was really nice. Nessa turned to Tom and smiled. Tom felt his cheeks blush slightly as he returned the favor, giving her a small smile.

"Wow…Hogwarts…What do you think it'll be like?" she asked him. Tom shrugged as he looked at her, focusing on her features. Her brown hair was tied up into adorable pigtails with purple ribbons. Her big brown eyes sparkled at him with kindness while she smiled at him, her cheeks rosy. She really was cute; she had always been, ever since he had first laid eyes on her when she arrived at the orphanage.

"Dunno. Big…I suppose…?" he shrugged. Nessa giggled, which made his insides flutter.

"Tom, you've always been so funny!" she squealed, hugging his arm. The warmth of her skin stunned him as he felt the love through his robes and fill his body. He liked the feeling and he never wanted her to let go.

But, unfortunately, she did.

There was a knock on the compartment door as a girl who seemed to be their own age with brown hair and brown eyes stood at the door. She was holding an orange kitten in her arms, one a bit bigger than Tommy, and a luggage case rolling behind her. She was cute, Tom noticed, but no where as cute as Nessa.

"Um, hello," she said. "Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full." Nessa smiled.

"Oh of course!" she squealed, clapping her hands. "Come in! Oh, is that your cat? How adorable! I have one of my own," Nessa said, noticing the orange cat hanging from the girl's arm. She scratched its head while the girl pulled in her trunk.

"Oh, this is Tiggy. You have one too? Is that him?" she pointed to Tommy who was climbing onto Tom's lap. Nessa nodded proudly.

"Yes. That's Tommy. And this here, is my good friend, Tom Riddle." she introduced. The girl waved.

"Hi! I'm Kathrin Jones, but I go by Kat," she stated. Tom nodded. "Who are you?" asked Kat to Nessa.

"Who, me?" asked Nessa, pointing at herself. Tom realized that that was the same motion she had done when Dumbledore stated he wanted to speak to her, the day when the two of them found out they were a witch and wizard. He thought the motion was cute. "I'm Nessa Sterling."

Kat whipped out a wand from her robes and pointed it at the trunk. She waved it and said, "Wingardium Leviosa," and the trunk lifted in to midair. Nessa widened her eyes and gaped at the floating trunk. Tom looked at it curiously. Kat manipulated it to fit on the trunk rack above her and sat down, ruffling her robes.

She noticed Nessa gaping at her. "Oh, just a little something Mum taught me. She said it's one of the spells I'll be learning in my first year and thought I should get on a head start."

"Oh, so you're a first year as well?" asked Tom. Kat glanced at him and nodded, a smile spread across her face.

"Yes, are you?" Tom nodded.

"So is Nessa," he muttered, pointing to Nessa. Nessa smiled and nodded proudly.

"Fantastic! So we'll all be learning together! You know, you two are the first people I've met so far. I'm really excited for Hogwarts. Both my parents went there and they excelled greatly. Hopefully I do just as well, or perhaps better!" exclaimed Kat.

"Oh, both your parents came to Hogwarts?" asked Nessa, interested. Kat nodded.

"Yes, I'm a Pureblood." she stated.

"Pureblood?" Nessa asked, confused.

"Yeah, it means I'm full magic," she explained. "What are you?"

"I'm a Muggle-born." answered Nessa. Kat widened her eyes.

"Wow, really? That's fascinating! A Muggle getting into Hogwarts! You must have some talent, huh?" she said. Nessa shrugged.

"I guess so,"

"And what about you?" Kat asked, talking to Tom. Tom looked up from Tommy.

"Who, me? I'm a half-blood," he muttered. Kat nodded.

"Well that's fine as well, though it's not as rare as being a Muggle-born witch." she said. "Anyways, I'll most likely get into Gryffindor; both my parents were in that House."

"House?" asked Nessa.

"Gryffindor?" asked Tom. Kat sighed.

"Gryffindor is a House. A House is what the Sorting Hat places you in for the rest of your school years."

"How many years are there?" asked Nessa.

"Seven," answered Kat.

"Is Gryffindor the only House?" asked Tom, suddenly interested in the topic.

"No. There are a total of four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. But, might I mention, the ones who turn up in Slytherin end up becoming part of the bad lot. No one in Slytherin has ever turned out good. And, it's usually the ones who have at least some magic blood in their veins that turn up in Slytherin, so Nessa, you don't have to worry about getting into that House." explained Kat.

"What about you? You're full of magic blood! How do you know you won't turn up in that House?" asked Tom, a bit stubborn.

"Me?" scoffed Kat. "Mum and Dad were both in Gryffindor and it's most likely that I will turn up in Gryffindor as well. There's a ninety-five percent chance that I will get into Gryffindor and perhaps a one percent chance I will make it into Slytherin," Tom narrowed his eyes a bit. "Well, what about you? Where was your mother or father?"

"My father was a Muggle," he said. "My mother was a witch. I don't know where she was or whether she even went to Hogwarts,"

"'Don't know'? What do you mean? Haven't you asked her?" asked Kat impatiently. Tom glared at her.

"Both my parents are dead!" he hissed. "Nessa and I grew up in an orphanage!"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

Nessa looked down into her lap while Tom continued to glare at Kat. Kat had widened her eyes with shock and she felt so terrible for offending him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I should have never have said that! I'm really sorry!" she said, feeling absolutely ashamed of herself. Tom said nothing but crossed his arms and looked away. Kat picked up Tiggy and took her wand out.

"I suppose I should leave then," she said, sadly. "Tom, Nessa, I'm so sorry for offending you both. Please forgive me and it was such a pleasure meeting you both."

"Kat no! Don't leave!" Nessa cried out as Kat's trunk began to levitate. "Please don't leave. It was an accident. You didn't mean to offend us. If it were anybody's fault, I'd say it were Tom's and my fault that you didn't know. After all, we never did tell you our parents had passed," explained Nessa. Tom widened his eyes at her.

'What is she saying?' he thought. Nessa looked at Tom with big sparkly eyes.

"Don't be mad at Kat, Tom. I'm not mad at her. She's nice, Tom, she can be our first friend!" said Nessa. Tom could not understand why Nessa wasn't taking this offensively. Tom looked away from the both of them, but he couldn't argue with Nessa.

"Okay," he grunted. "Fine. Stay." Nessa smiled at him and gave him a squeeze. Although the hug lightened him up a bit, he was still unsure of Kat.

Kat smiled at Tom. "Thanks," she said and lowered her case back onto the rack, then sitting down across from Nessa and Tom.

xXx

The train ride took longer than Nessa and Tom had expected. Nessa had not realized that she had fallen asleep on Tom's shoulder after he had shaken her gently to wake. Nessa blinked her brown eyes as she looked around her. Across from the two of them, Kat Jones had fallen asleep, sprawled across the entire cushioned bench of the compartment, Tiggy snuggled against her chest.

Nessa looked up at Tom, who seemed to be wide awake at the moment. She smiled, tiredly, as if happy to wake up to his face.

"Were you awake the whole train ride?" she asked groggily. Tom looked from the night sky to Nessa's smiling face.

"What? Oh, yes, I was." he answered. Nessa lifted her head from his shoulder.

"Why? You didn't get any sleep?"

"I wasn't tired," he responded briefly. Nessa glanced back at Kat, who was still snoozing. The train was slowing down. "We're here," Tom added. A delighted expression filled Nessa's face as she pressed her cheek against the cold window, looking out. There were tiny lights that appeared to be getting bigger and bigger as they neared them which revealed a quaint train station.

Nessa sighed. "We're here," she repeated. Tom smiled a small smile at her excitement. Nessa turned her neck to him. "Do you think we should wake Kat now?" Tom glanced at Kat.

"Nah. If we're lucky, the train will leave with her," he snickered. Nessa frowned.

"You really don't like her, do you? You know, you could be a little nicer; after all, she didn't mean to offend you. It was an accident Tom, please learn that." Nessa said sternly as she trotted over to shake Kat's shoulder gently.

Tom froze at Nessa's words. Was she angry with him? No, just irritated at his behavior towards Nessa's new friend. But maybe the reason why he was acting that way was because he didn't want Nessa to have any other friends besides himself. Now he knew he wasn't being fair at all to Nessa, not at all, and he shamed himself for doing so. But he only wanted Nessa for himself, he always had. At the orphanage, whenever the other children invited Nessa to play with them, Tom would become infuriated and, behind Nessa's back, order them to never play with Nessa, ever. But it was all out of love for Nessa. The reason he only wanted Nessa to himself was because, deep down inside…Tom loved her with all his heart.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

"Kat…Kat! Wake up! We're here! We're finally here at Hogwarts!" whispered Nessa excitedly in Kat's ear. Kat immediately sat up, Tiggy almost falling to the ground.

"Wha—what? We're here? At Hogwarts? Really?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. Nessa nodded rapidly.

"Yes yes! Hurry up and get your belongings! There's a whole crowd already waiting to get off the train," stated Nessa as she helped Kat to her feet. Tom watched as Nessa helped her and when the two girls turned to him, he quickly looked away.

Kat helped Tom and Nessa retrieve their luggage as she used the levitation spell again to lift their bags out of the rack and onto the ground. Nessa and Kat helped their kittens back into their carriers as Tom carried his owl out of the compartment, dragging his trunk behind him.

The threesome had to wait a while longer as the crowd of anxious students pushed to get off the train. Nessa hopped excitedly on the balls of her feet, clinging onto Tom's arm. Tom admired Nessa's excitement.

As the crowd died down and less and less people were still remained on the train, Nessa dashed out, rolling her trunk and carrier behind her, leaving Tom and Kat behind.

"Nessa, wait!" called Tom, protectively.

"Nessa!!" called Kat after. Tom hurried after her, Kat behind him.

"Is she always this outgoing?" asked Kat as she watched Nessa's head bob through the others. Tom didn't answer right away.

"No, when I first met her she was quite shy," he grunted back.

Kat widened her eyes. "Her? Shy?" Tom's eyes narrowed and didn't respond back. It was becoming more obvious that he didn't like this girl.

Nessa waited at the train's exit for her friends. She was already off the train, admiring her surroundings. She had read a sign that said, "Hogsmeade Station" and what excited her even more was the little town in the distance.

"Finally! What took so long?" she cried. Tom raised an eyebrow as Kat rolled her eyes, chuckling.

"'Finally'? What do mean 'finally'? You're the one who rushed off the train without us!" she said. Nessa smiled widely.

As they dropped off their belongings to a large stack of trunks and cages with owls and cats and some tanks with toads, they heard a teacher calling out to them.

"First years! Over here first years!" said the cranky, impatient voice. As the three of them cautiously arrived, they found that the voice was of an old, balding man who was extremely thin and had a hunchback. He was holding a lantern up to his glaring face.

"I hope he isn't going to be one of our teachers," whispered Nessa to Tom, frightened. Tom didn't respond but continued to look straight at the man. It appeared the group of first years that they had been standing on a dock and in back of the man were dozens of boats just sitting in the water peacefully.

"Now, everyone listen up, and listen carefully. The way we are going to arrive at the castle is by these boats in back of me. You are to keep all body limbs inside the boat. No splashing the water, no rocking the boat, nothing! You hear?" he asked sternly. The crowd of first years nodded their heads quickly.

"Good. Everyone climb into a boat. Only three people per boat!" he shouted as a group of five girls started climbing into a single boat. Startled, they all split apart. Nessa clung onto Tom's robe's sleeve.

"Stay with me, Tom," she murmured. Tom lightened up inside and nodded in agreement.

"Of course," he replied softly. Nessa smiled at him and draped her arm through his.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

Nessa and Tom rode in the boat with Kat as well. Nessa was thrilled that she rode along with them and Tom tried not to argue with her, for Nessa. He knew it would hurt Nessa if he were to tease Kat rudely, so he tried his best not to. But just to be safe, he didn't say a word so that nothing could come out.

Nessa noticed Tom's silence, but she chatted along with Kat the whole entire way. Kat told her everything her parents had told her about Hogwarts, and Nessa enjoyed the conversation fully.

"And we even have our own sport: Quidditch." said Kat. Nessa gasped.

"Wow! Did you hear that Tom? A sport! That is so exciting!" she squealed. Kat nodded.

"Quidditch is national, but Hogwarts has its own league for the school. The four Houses compete against each other for the Quidditch Cup at the end of the year." she explained. Nessa hung onto her every word, then repeating everything to Tom as if he hadn't heard Kat in the first place. But Tom didn't mind; he'd rather hear Nessa tell him than Kat.

After Kat had finished explaining everything about Quidditch, a large castle came into view as it grew bigger and bigger when they neared it. Nessa, Tom and Kat gaped at the majestic building.

"Okay first years. Get outta the boats and follow me!" ordered the man as another dock came into view. When Tom, Nessa and Kat's boat reached the dock, they climbed out of the boat and followed the cranky man.

He led them up a pebbled path with trees lingering over them like a tunnel. But the trees disappeared and the sight of the large castle amazed all the students. Off to the side was a strange looking willow tree, abnormally large with its roots crawling up from the ground.

The man led them further up to the castle and led them through the humongous double doors that had stood before them. As the threesome trotted in along with the other first years, Nessa and Tom spotted some familiar right away.

"Professor Dumbledore!" cried Nessa with joy. Dumbledore looked at her and smiled.

"Ah, Nessa, I see you and Tom made it by the boats okay," he noticed. Nessa and Tom nodded. Dumbledore turned from them to the entire crowd of first years.

"Welcome, first years, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Beyond these doors is where you all will have your welcoming feast. But before you sit down, you all must be Sorted into your Houses. These Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Once Sorted, you will be excused to go to your House table where you will wait until everyone has been settled. Now, shall we go? If you would please follow me. And thank you, Apollyon, for escorting the children to me," said Dumbledore, bowing at the cranky man. Apollyon grunted and nodded.

Dumbledore turned back to the crowd of children, smiled, and turned around, facing the doors which were in back of him. He pushed through them, revealing the largely lit room. As the children walked behind him in two straight lines, they noticed the floating candles and clear night sky above them. Nessa gaped up at the ceiling and Tom himself was quite pleased to be there.

Four long tables were set up, filled with older students. At the front of the room, another long table was set, seating the teachers. They all sat, eyeing each new-comber. In front of the teacher table was a stool and a battered old hat sat on it. Dumbledore walked up to the school as the students gathered around at the bottom.

"When I call your name, please walk up and sit on the stool. Then, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be seated into your Houses," Dumbledore explained. He slipped a scroll out of his long maroon robes and opened it.

"Abray, Harriman," called Dumbledore. A thin boy with dark hair walked up nervously to the stool. He sat on it while Dumbledore placed the battered old hat onto his head.

"Hmmm…a very intelligent boy, I see…excellent mind, cleverness, right then…" There was a pause. "RAVENCLAW!" boomed the Sorting Hat, causing Harriman to jump. Dumbledore smiled as he lifted the hat off his head and slid of the stool. The Ravenclaw table cheered for their newest member.

"Burton, Joy," another name was called. A short girl with long blonde hair walked up and sat on the stool. She hesitated when the Sorting Hat was placed onto her head. A thoughtful expression filled the hat's face as it shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The girl smiled widely and pranced to the Hufflepuff table.

It went on and on like this. Dumbledore was finally reaching the H section.

"Hawthorne, Aubriella!" he cried. A girl with long black hair and a thin figure stepped up to the stool as the Sorting Hat was placed onto her head.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

"SLYTHERIN!" cried the Sorting Hat. The black haired girl grinned as she hopped off the stool and headed for the Slytherin table. 

"She must be bad news," whispered Kat to Nessa as she nodded. 

"Jones, Kathrin!" called Dumbledore, looking up from the scroll. Kat and Nessa widened their eyes and exchanged glances. 

"Oh no, my turn already?" she whispered fearfully. Nessa gave Kat a tiny shove towards the stool. She sat upon it and Dumbledore placed the hat on her head.

"Hmm…let's see…Another Jones sibling eh? Well, this shan't be so hard then…GRYFFI-NDOR!" cried the hat. Kat let out a huge, noticeable sigh as she hopped down from the stool. Dumbledore chuckled of her relief. Nessa applauded excitedly for her friend as she watched her skip merrily to the Gryffindor table. 

"Malfoy, Abraxas!" called Dumbledore once the applause died down. A blonde boy with a pointed face walked up to the stool, sitting himself on it. Dumbledore lowered the hat onto his head and very quickly, the hat cried out, "SLYTHERIN!" Bewildered, yet pleased with himself, at the Sorting Hat's fast decision, Abraxas Malfoy stepped off the stool and trotted over to the Slytherin table. 

As more names were called, the first years were leaving the group at the bottom of the stool and heading off to their House tables. Nessa and Tom waited for their names to be called, and finally, their moments had arrived. 

"Riddle, Tom!" called out Dumbledore, glancing at Tom. Nessa shook his arm with excitement and shoved him slightly up to the stool when he wouldn't budge. Tom cautiously walked up to the stool and climbed up on it, Dumbledore lowering it onto his head. 

"Riddle…Riddle…I see now…yes…" muttered the hat. Nessa listened closely to what it was saying, but all the words she heard made no sense to her—they didn't seem to fit together. She looked up at Tom curiously. 

"Yes, right…SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat shouted. Nessa gasped and Tom widened his eyes shockingly. The Slytherin table stood and applauded for their new-comber as Tom, bewildered, walked off to his new House table. He looked back at Nessa with an eager look. She nodded and sighed. 

"Sterling, Nessa!" Dumbledore called. Nessa's face broke into a smile as she looked up at Dumbledore and climbed onto the stool. 

'Please, keep me with Tom! Keep me with Tom!' she thought. 

"Ah, a Muggle-born…extraordinary talent I see…Yes, I know the perfect House for you…" Tom anxiously watched Nessa. 

"Feh, Muggle-born? Gryffindor most likely," said the Abraxas boy. Tom looked at him and glared. 

"Don't say that. Nessa will be kept here with me, she will!" argued Tom. Abraxas Malfoy just laughed. 

"Doubt it. No Muggle-born has ever made it into Slytherin! She'll be sent to Gryffindor," he assured. Tom glared even harder at the boy; he wasn't liking him at all, nor this House. 

"Slytherin. Slytherin. Slytherin," he muttered. He saw Nessa look at him, her eyes anxiously awaiting her fate. 


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

"GRYFFINDOR!" announced the Sorting Hat. Nessa widened her eyes. Tom dropped his jaw. He glared and slammed his fists onto the table. The Slytherin table all glanced his way. 

"No! No, no, no!" he cried as he watched Nessa walked slowly to the Gryffindor table where Gryffindors were applauding their newest member. Kat was standing and clapping her hands rapidly, excited that her new friend had made it into the same House as herself. Nessa, however, wasn't very excited. She was happy that she was with Kat, but she really wanted to stay with Tom. As she sat down next to Kat, she looked over at Tom. He wasn't looking her way, which made her even sadder. 

"Nessa! We're in the same House! This is great!" exclaimed Kat when everybody had stopped applauding. Nessa looked up at Kat and gave her a weak smile. But Kat knew something was wrong. 

She sighed. "It's because you're not with Tom, isn't it?" she wondered. Nessa didn't reply. Kat sighed again. "Nessa, if you had made it into Slytherin…nothing good would have ever come out of it! For all I know, we probably would've have stopped being friends!" she explained. Nessa looked up at Kat.

"So…does that mean that, Tom and I, we're not going to be friends anymore?" she sniffed. Kat noticed that Nessa's eyes were watering. Kat's face saddened.

"I don't know, Nessa, I really don't. I'd hate to say so, but I don't think you're friendship will extend anymore, now that he's a Slytherin. I mean, Slytherins and Gryffindors…well, us two Houses are rivals. I don't think there has ever been a single Slytherin that has ever showed friendliness towards us." Kat said matter-of-factly. Nessa's eyes locked onto Tom.

xXx

Tom was angry. He couldn't believe it; Nessa was apart from him. He couldn't understand why the Sorting Hat hadn't put them together and why Dumbledore wasn't doing anything about it? Tom hated Dumbledore and the Sorting Hat. He hated Hogwarts and he hated everyone here, everyone but Nessa. Nessa and Tom were supposed to stick together. 

Abraxas scoffed. "Heh, I told you the Muggle-born wouldn't make it into Slytherin. Those Mudbloods wouldn't do us any good! We're too good for them," Tom heard him say. He glared at Abraxas. 

"How dare you say that about Nessa? Nessa would do us all kinds of good here! And what did you call her? A…a…"

"A Mudblood," finished the black haired girl, Aubriella Hawthorne. "It means dirty blood. It's a common name used for Muggle-borns. Magic blood…in them? Feh! As if! Muggle-borns shouldn't even be allowed to use magic! Father says that it was all Gryffindor's idea to allow Muggle-borns in the school, and that's what ruined it all." she explained. 

"Gryffindor?" wondered Tom. 

"Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin are the four founders of Hogwarts. That's why the Houses are named after them." said Abraxas. 

"You sure don't know a lot about this place. You do have magic heritage, don't you?" asked Aubriella. Tom sneered at her.

"Yes of course I do. My mother was magic. But she died when I was just born, so I couldn't even ask her anything about this…this place." he said. Aubriella raised her eyebrows. Abraxas Malfoy crossed his arms and smirked. 

Tom looked at Nessa, who he found was looking at him with deep saddened eyes. He noticed, from far away, that tears had been strolling down her soft, rosy cheeks. She wanted to be with him too. This wasn't fair—this wasn't the way they wanted to start their first year at Hogwarts.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

All was quiet again when Dumbledore called up the next person.

"Thomas, Arabella!" he called. A girl with long blonde hair with a petite figure walked up to the stool and sat herself on it. She waited for Dumbledore to place the hat on her head. 

"Ahh…A Thomas daughter! Very well then…GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table applauded, along with Kat and Nessa, though Tom still covered Nessa's mind. The blonde girl happily walked down from the stool and started towards the Gryffindor table. Nessa sighed.

'If only I could be that happy to walk down here. I should be very proud that I was placed into a good House, but I'm so apart from Tom. Why is this happening?' she thought. She connected eye connect with Tom again as she stared deeply into his gleaming emerald eyes. 

The girl walked towards Kat and Nessa and sat down across from them. She smiled. 

"Hi! I'm Arabella—well, you probably already know that from up there," she said. "Who are you?" 

Kat smiled back. "I'm Kathrin Jones, but I go by Kat, and this here's Nessa Sterling. Pleasure to meet you! Exciting that we're all in the same House, right?" said Kat. Arabella nodded. She turned to Nessa, who was still looking at Tom. 

"Umm…" 

Kat nudged Nessa softly. Nessa disconnected the stare and looked at the blonde girl. She looked very kind and sweet. 

"Hello," said Nessa. 

"Hi!" replied Arabella. 

"So, where do you come from? The Sorting Hat said you were a Thomas. Are you a Pureblood?" asked Kat, starting up a new conversation. 

"Yes," Arabella nodded. "Mum was a Ravenclaw and Dad was in Gryffindor. But I guess, as it turns out, I inherited most of my father's genes because I got into Gryffindor." Kat nodded.

"I'm a Pureblood too. My parents were both in Gryffindor," she said. Arabella turned to Nessa. 

"What about you?" she asked kindly. Nessa looked up at her and cocked her head.

"Who, me? I'm…I'm a Muggle-born," said Nessa softly. Arabella's smile widened. 

"A Muggle-born? Wow! You must have to be really special to get a letter from Hogwarts! Hogwarts only accepts the best witches and wizards. You must be very lucky," she said. Nessa broke into a small smile and nodded.

"Actually, yes, I'm very lucky, and grateful too." she said. Arabella nodded.

"It's great to meet you both! I hope we can become great friends," she said happily. Kat nodded, a wide smile spread across her face.

"I do too!" she said. 

Nessa smiled and nodded. "Yes,"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

After the last student had been Sorted, Dumbledore took the Sorting Hat and the stool out of the room and walked to his place at the staff table. Then, a balding, frail man stood from his chair and held out his arms. 

"Dinner is served," he announced and the five tables filled with platters of delicious food. Nessa and Tom both widened their eyes and dug in. 

Throughout the dinner course, there were times when Tom and Nessa would look up at each other from afar, exchanging saddened glances, but Kat and Arabella helped Nessa to keep her focus on the conversation they were having, which would make Tom extremely angry. 

When dinner finished, the headmaster, Professor Armando Dippet, excused the students to their common rooms, the Prefects leading the first years there. Arabella, Kat and Nessa stuck together, but Nessa would often look back to see Tom in a line of Slytherins behind the Slytherin Prefects. 

It killed the both of them when there lines parted as the Gryffindors were lead upstairs and the Slytherins downstairs. Nessa sadly waved good-bye to her best friend, hoping that she would see him soon. 

When the Gryffindors arrived to their floor, they stopped at a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink, silk dress. 

"Password?" she asked one of the Prefects. 

"Pumpkin Pasty," replied the female Prefect as the Fat Lady portrait swung open, revealing an entranceway. The two prefects lead the first years through the entranceway, which lead to a wide room filled with scarlet and gold tapestries, a coffee table, and a number of sofas and armchairs, all of scarlet color. A brilliantly lit fire was crackling in the fireplace. Nessa, Kat and Arabella sighed as they ventured the room. 

"You will find that these staircases will lead you to your dorms. Boys, your staircase is on the left and the girls, yours is on the right. You will also find that your belongings have been brought up to your dorms." explained the male Prefect. After that, they let the first years adjust to their new settings. Nessa, Kat and Arabella immediately wandered up to their dorms. 

When they arrived, they found a door that had a golden plaque on it. Inscribed on it was, "First Years: Kathrin Jones, Nessa Sterling, Arabella Thomas, Rockeala Weatherby". The threesome looked at each other curiously.

"'Rockeala Weatherby'? I wonder who that is," said Kat.

"I'm Rockeala Weatherby," chimed a friendly voice. "Are you all in my dorm as well?" Nessa, Kat and Arabella turned to see a girl with shoulder length black hair and rosy cheeks. She smiled kindly at the group. 

"Well, I suppose we are sharing a dorm, since all our names are on this plaque," said Arabella, pointing to the golden plaque on the door. Rockeala took a look at the plaque. 

"Kathrin Jones, Nessa Sterling, Arabella Thomas and—that's me!—Rockeala Weatherby," she read. 

"I'm Kathrin Jones, but I go by Kat," said Kat, waving. 

"And I'm Arabella Thomas. Pleased to meet you!" said Arabella. 

"I'm Nessa Sterling," said Nessa, shyly. Rockeala smiled at the three. 

"You all look like very nice people. I think we're going to be splendid friends!" she exclaimed. 


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

Tom's arms were crossed amongst his chest as he followed the Prefects up to a blank stone wall. The male Prefect walked up to it a muttered, "Pureblood". The stone wall slid open and the first years were led inside. 

The common room was dark and it was dimly lit by the fire in the fireplace and green chandeliers shed off its poor light. 

"Your dormitories, boys, are to the left through that door," pointed the male Prefect. "And yours, girls, are to the right. That door over there is yours," He maneuvered his hand to the opposite way where another dungeon door stood. "Lights out at ten o'clock, no later or you will be sent to Dippet." Tom didn't like this Prefect's attitude and smirked to himself. 

Tom sat against the back of one of the black leather sofas. He strongly wished he could either be over there with Nessa or have her here with him. Being split up was not what they had intended, but at the very least, they should have at least one class together. Now that he had his hopes up, he couldn't wait till the very next day.

He wandered away from the crowds of Slytherin students and slipped through the door leading to the boys' dorms. When he got inside, he saw the long hall of doors and figured how in the world he was ever going to find his dorm. 

He turned to the first door and widened his eyes, shocked. He read a silver plaque that said, "First Years: Arcturus Black, Darrion Lestrange, Abraxas Malfoy, Tom Riddle". Tom groaned. 

"Abraxas Malfoy?" he asked out loud to himself. 

"Did somebody call me?" called the voice belonging to Abraxas Malfoy. Tom groaned quietly again. 

The blonde headed boy with grey eyes appeared next to him, reading off the plaque. "Well will you look at that!" he exclaimed. "Arcturus and Darrion as well? Fancy that…we're going to have an excellent dorm, mate," said Malfoy, resting his arm on Tom's shoulder. Tom glared at him and shrugged it off. 

"Sure," he grunted as he walked inside. 

Tom found Shadow in his cage next to a bed on the far right. 'Good,' he thought. 'I'll be away from all the others,' His trunk sat in front of the head board of the four-poster bed, which had long emerald and silver draperies hanging from the top. Tom walked over to his bed and sat down, stroking Shadow through the wires of his cage. 

"She's not here, Shadow," he said to the bird. "She's not with us," 

"Who's not with you?" chimed Malfoy. Tom glared. "That Mudblood girlfriend of yours?" he snickered. Tom stood and clenched his fists into tight balls. 

"Don't EVER say that about Nessa! You hear?" he threatened through his gritted teeth. Malfoy raised an eyebrow and turned away, walking to a bed opposite from Tom's, on the other side of the room. Tom sat back down on his bed and watched Shadow peck at the bars. He noticed the window in the middle of his and the other bed. It was small, but big enough to fit an owl through it. 

Tom lay on his bed. All he could think about was Nessa…and Nessa…and Nessa. He wanted to feel the warm presence that shed off her when she was around him. He wanted to feel her arm draped through his as she sometimes did when they walked together. He just wanted to be with her, like they promised each other to do: to stay with each other. Hogwarts was ruining everything and it was all thanks to that stupid Sorting Hat. 


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

Back at Gryffindor, Kat, Arabella, Rockeala and, surprisingly, Nessa were all having a great time. Nessa was having too much fun to be depressed about Tom, as she cast him away from her thoughts. 

They all had found their beds; Nessa and Kat were next to each while Arabella and Rockeala were on the opposite side. They all sat prompted on Arabella and Rockeala's beds, Kat and Nessa's kittens lying in their laps, communicating with each other. 

"Your cats are adorable," said Arabella. Nessa and Kat exchanged glances and smiled. 

"Cat?" chimed Rockeala. "I have one too!" she said. She walked from behind her bed and picked up a white fluffy Persian with a pink collar around her neck. Rockeala stroked the Persian's head as she set it in her lap as well. 

"Oh how cute!" exclaimed Kat. Rockeala smiled.

"Her name's Princess. She's a total brat though, especially when she was kitten," laughed Rockeala as Arabella stretched out an arm to pet Princess. 

"What animal did you bring to Hogwarts, Arabella?" asked Kat. Arabella pointed behind her. 

"My owl, Cherry! Mum bought her for me for my birthday," explained Arabella. Rockeala placed Princess on the ground so she could roam around the dorm. Nessa and Kat did the same and watched the two kittens follow the older cat around. The four laughed at the kittens' behavior. 

"So, I'm pretty anxious for classes tomorrow. Also, we get flying lessons! That should be exciting!" said Rockeala. The others nodded. Nessa, however, looked a bit confused.

"Flying lessons?" she asked. 

"Yes. We're going to learn how to fly a broom! I'm so excited!" replied Rockeala. 

"Me too. My mum said that Father was an excellent broom rider when he came here," stated Kat. "Although, Mum never was a brilliant flyer, or so she says," she added. Arabella giggled. 

"I guess I can say my father was a swell flyer as well, although, I never see him ride anymore. He's much too busy to be flying around our yard." she said. Nessa smiled, though a small knot tied in her stomach. Both her parents were Muggles and they were dead. Because she didn't know them all too well, she couldn't really tell her new friends about them. But luckily, Kat changed the subject.

"I'm starving," she claimed. 

"Starving? We just had dinner!" cried Rockeala. 

"I know, but I'm really egging for some…candy, perhaps?" a sly grin spread across her face. 

"Oh, well I didn't bring any candy with me," admitted Arabella. 

"Yeah, I ate all of my sweets on the train ride," said Rockeala afterwards. Kat looked at Nessa.

"You know I don't have anything! We sat on the train together, remember?" said Nessa. Kat bit her lip.

"Darn, your right. I forgot about that," she said. 

"Maybe somebody downstairs has something. It would also be the perfect opportunity to make more friends," said Rockeala. The others nodded and they all filed out the door and down the stairs.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

Tom trudged out of his dorm and out to the common room where there was still a couple of first year Slytherins outside. He sat by the fire in a black armchair and stared into the flames. Then, he jumped. He could have sworn he saw Nessa's face in the fire…smiling at him! 

'Okay Tom,' he said to himself. 'You are getting way out of hand. You didn't see her face in the fire…that's impossible!' But now that he thought of it, nothing was really impossible anymore.

"Abraxas, where have you been?" called a boy voice. Tom widened his eyes, then sneered. The last person he wanted to see was Abraxas Malfoy. 

"In my dorm, Darrion. Turns out we're all sharing one," he said proudly. 

"Wow, really!" said another boy. Tom turned in his chair to the same group of Slytherins lounging on the floor of the common room. Abraxas was the only one standing. The others sitting was the girl with long black hair, whose name was Aubriella and two other boys sitting beside her. They both had dark hair, but one had deep grey eyes and the other had hazel eyes. Tom had guessed that these two boys were Darrion Lestrange and Arcturus Black, his other dorm mates.

"So it's me, Arcturus, you and who else?" asked the boy with hazel eyes. Abraxas looked up at Tom and grinned. He pointed to Tom while the others turned.

"Him. Tom Riddle," he said. 

"You mean the one who was depressed because that Muggle-born girl didn't make it into Slytherin?" asked Aubriella. Tom's eyes narrowed, but Abraxas grinned even wider.

"Yep," he answered. Tom turned around to face the fire again. 

"Oi, you! Riddle! Why don't you come over here and hang with us? We are dorm mates now after all," said one of the boys. 

"Great idea, Darrion!" exclaimed Abraxas. "Oi, Riddle, come on! Don't be a git!" But Tom ignored them all. He heard Malfoy sigh. 

"Fine, then if you won't come to us, we'll come to you!" he called and Tom heard the others get up from the floor and walk to him. Tom sighed and groaned. All he wanted was some peace and quiet to think about Nessa. 

"So you're Tom Riddle," said the boy with hazel eyes. He grinned. "I'm Darrion Lestrange," he held out a hand, but when Tom wouldn't shake it, he pulled it back, embarrassed. 

"Tom, I believe you already met Aubriella Hawthorne. She sat with us during dinner," said Malfoy. Aubriella waved at him, a beautiful smile spread across her face. 

"Hi," he muttered. 

"And I'm Arcturus Black," said the other boy with the deep grey eyes. 

"Excellent, now we all know each other." said Malfoy. He sighed. "Isn't it nice to have the common room to yourself? What time is it anyway?" 

Black pointed to the clock above the mantel. "There's the time right there, you moron. Perhaps you need your eyes checked?" Aubriella, Arcturus and Darrion burst into laughter while Malfoy glared at them. 

"Oh shut up you pile of baboons!" he shouted. Tom just watched the four curiously. How was he going to fit in with this bunch? They were already accepting him in, which was a good thing, but they talked so horribly about other people besides themselves. He didn't know what to think. Was he going to join this group and have friends who talk so trashy about people like Nessa…or was he going to keep to himself and keep all terrible things about Nessa away from him?


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

When Arabella, Rockeala, Kat and Nessa walked down the Gryffindor steps out of their dorm, they found quite a few Gryffindors still awake. The clock had read about nine thirty-five p.m. 

Rockeala led the girls up to a small group of boys. They were cute, Nessa thought, but no one was cuter than Tom. 

"Hi," greeted Rockeala. "We were just wondering if you had any snacks or candy. My friend here is kind of hungry," she said, pointing to Kat, who blushed a bright red. 

"Rockeala!" she whispered angrily in her ear. But Rockeala ignored her and gave the boys a smile. One of them returned it.

"Well," he started. He had dark brown hair and golden eyes. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a box. Nessa looked at the box curiously. She had never seen candy liked this. 

'Is this magic candy?' she wondered. 

"I have some Bertie Botts left. Your friend can have them if she wants," he said, looking over at Kat, smiling. Kat's face became as red as a tomato. He held out the box to her. Rockeala looked back at Kat and elbowed her in the side.

"Take them!" she whispered to her. Kat's hand trembled as she reached for the box. 

"Th—thank y—you," she stuttered. The boy smiled. 

"Any time!" he called as they turned away. "Hey, wait!" The four spun back, their long hair slapping each other's faces. "Why don't you stay with us for a while. We don't have to go back up to our dorms for Lights Out for another twenty-five minutes." 

The girls all exchanged glances, smiling. Arabella nodded. 

"Thanks for the invitation. We'll gladly stay!" she replied. 

"Excellent," the boy with the dark brown hair replied. 

They were all sitting on the floor next to the crackling fire. 

"So, what are your names?" asked Arabella, since Kat was too embarrassed to talk. (She was also too busy eating her leftover jellybeans!) 

"Oh, us? I'm Victor Longbottom. This here's Henry McLaggan and Jason Lummons." said the dark brunette boy. The boy on Victor's right was Henry McLaggan who had golden hair and brown eyes. On Victor's left was Jason Lummons who had black hair covering his blue eyes a bit. The girls smiled at them and waved. 

"Who might you four be?" asked Henry. 

"I'm Rockeala Weatherby," 

"And I'm Arabella Thomas,"

"Um, I'm Nessa Sterling," 

Kat didn't introduce herself. Nessa elbowed her softly. "Oh! Sorry. I'm Kat Jones," she replied, embarrassed of herself again. 

"Great! Looks like we found some more friends, guys," exclaimed Victor.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29:

As the night rattled on, ten o'clock came sooner than the Slytherins could say "Pureblood". A Prefect came out of a different door to inform them that it was time for bed. The first years groaned as they said good-bye to Aubriella, who went into the girls' dorm door, Arcturus especially taking one last look at her.

The four Slytherin boys trailed off to their own dorm, Tom last. When he walked in, he headed straight for his trunk, pulled out his pajamas and closed the drapes around him so he could change. He heard laughter immediately.

"Lookit this boys!" cried the unpleasant voice of Abraxas Malfoy. "Tom's changing behind the curtain!" Darrion and Arcturus snickered a bit, but then let it to rest. Malfoy, however, kept on howling.

"Such a newbie! What, has he ever shared a room before?" he cackled. Tom glared hard. He was not hurt, but infuriated. What was it with Abraxas Malfoy making fun of Tom so much? Was it because that he was friends with Nessa? What was his problem? Tom was sick of it.

"Eh, Abraxas, let it rest. It's old now," said Darrion.

"Yeah, it's not funny anymore. Besides, you can't call him a newbie; you're new too." said Arcturus after. Abraxas looked at the both of them and glared.

"Shut up! Both of you!" he shouted. He stumbled to find the right words to fight back with, but Arcturus was right; Abraxas was new at Hogwarts as well.

Abraxas growled under his breath and slipped on his striped pajama pants. Tom came out from the curtain in a long white t-shirt and his black pajama bottoms.

"Hey, that's kind of cool," noticed Arcturus, who had just finished buttoning up his collared checkered pajama shirt.

"Yeah, I never would've thought a long shirt and pajama bottoms would look great as a pajama set," said Darrion. Abraxas glanced at Tom, who looked utterly bewildered as he was checking himself out in his clothes. Abraxas caught Tom's eye as Tom sneered at him. Abraxas glared and jumped into his bed.

"It's already past ten. Lights out now," he ordered as he turned out the lamp.

Tom got under the soft emerald comforter and felt the bouncy mattress. These beds were ten times better than the ones in the orphanage. He laid his head down onto the phoenix feather pillows and turned out his own light.

'I wonder if Nessa is sleeping in comfortable beds as well,' he thought. 'I wish I could see her sleep. She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping,'

Slowly, Tom closed his eyelids and drifted off to sleep.

Nessa walked down the corridor with her new friends. She seemed so much older, why was that? Her face had matured, her body enhanced…she looked more beautiful than ever! Her brown sparkly eyes connected with his. He felt himself smile, but suddenly, Nessa turned away. She didn't look at him again as she and her group of girlfriends walked away.

Tom's eye widened with astonishment. What had just happened? What did he do? What was wrong with Nessa? There had never been a time where Nessa looked away from him, especially with a look like that on her face.

Tom's heart ripped up. He felt like crying. Nessa was the love of his life, and now…something was definitely wrong, and worst, he had no idea what.

He turned around and watched Nessa laugh along with her friends. She didn't seem to notice him after they turned the corner. Tom watched her painfully.

He suddenly felt a hand rest upon his shoulder. He turned his neck and saw Abraxas Malfoy, along with Darrion Lestrange, Acturus Black and Aubriella Hawthorne, the two of them hooking hands. Everyone looked so much older. He didn't know what was going on.

He looked down at his hands, which had grown to be a much bigger size. He felt his face and turned to a window; it was him, but as a much older boy. He looked about sixteen or so.

All of a sudden, the four others began looking at him strangely as he began to feel dizzy. Sudden drops of sweat came pouring down across his face as he felt like falling. Everything was going all wrong. Nessa…

Something was wrong with Nessa…Tom didn't like this at all. He screamed, but no voice came out. He looked at the others; they were talking like crazy, but no voice came out. Tom fell back, but none of them noticed. Fear overwhelmed him.

Then suddenly, a sweet, soft voice came through.

"Tom," she said. "Tom, wake up,"

'Nessa,' he thought.

"Tom, wake up! Hurry up!"

'Nessa, what's the rush?'

"Tom! You bloody git, get up!" she screamed.

"Nessa?" he asked. Nessa had never used language like that with him, ever.

"Nessa? I'm not Nessa, you moron! Darrion, help me!" Nessa's voice became distorted as it suddenly became the voice of Abraxas Malfoy.

"Get up, Riddle! God, you sleep like a rock!" he shouted in his ear. Tom opened his eyes to see Abraxas, Darrion and Arcturus looking down at him. A large pit of relief and fear had dropped in his stomach. It was just a dream.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

"Wha—? What's going on?" asked Tom, groggily. He sat up and placed his hand on his forehead. 

"Your bloody screaming woke the whole dorm up, Riddle," smirked Abraxas. "Most likely the whole entire school." Darrion punched Abraxas in the arm. 

"Why so harsh, Malfoy?" he asked, rudely. Abraxas rolled his eyes. 

"Nessa, where's Nessa?" Tom asked suddenly, remembering the dream. 

"Nessa? You mean the Mudblood? She's in…Gryffindor Tower, most likely waking up now, thanks to you," Abraxas smirked again. Tom glared at him and grabbed hold of his collar.

"What did I tell you about calling Nessa that?" he threatened, gritting his teeth. Abraxas widened his eyes and squirmed out of his grip. Tom let go and sighed. 

"Did you have a dream about…about this…Nessa, was it?" asked Arcturus. 

"It was nothing," said Tom, climbing out of bed. 

"Nothing, huh?" asked Darrion. 

"Nothing." assured Tom, narrowing his eyes. 

They all dressed, all of them being exceptionally quiet. When they dressed into their uniforms and pulled on their robes, they walked out of their dorm and out to the common room. Tom noticed all the other Slytherins walking out of their dorms and walking out of the common room. 

Arcturus waited behind the lot. 

"Black, what are you doing?" sighed Abraxas. 

"Waiting for Aubriella," he replied simply. Malfoy rolled his eyes. 

"Let's go! We'll see her in the Great Hall," he said and grabbed hold of Arcturus's arm, dragging him along with him. 

Tom wished he could walk with Nessa. It occurred to him that he missed her more than ever at the moment. At the orphanage, Tom would always wait by Nessa's dorm, even though Mrs. Cole forbade boys going near the girls' rooms, and walk with her down to breakfast. 

He wished he could do that now: wait for her in front of her dorm in Gryffindor Tower and walk with her down to breakfast. 

"Hey, Tom, are you okay?" asked Darrion, snapping his fingers in front of Tom's face. Tom blinked. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered promptly. 

As they walked down the corridor towards the Great Hall, Tom heard a call for him. 

"TOM!" she cried and he felt arms wrap around him. These weren't just any girl's arms, they were Nessa's. 

Tom's eyes widened as he felt her cheek press against his. "Nessa," he whispered. 

"Oh Tom! I missed you so much! I was praying we would see each other soon!" she exclaimed when he turned to face her. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a squeeze. 

"Nessa," he whispered again. Nessa's face burst into a wide smile. 

"Nessa! Wait up!" called a familiar voice. It was Kat, and trailing behind her were two other girls and three boys. Tom glared. 

"Who are they?" he muttered. Nessa turned back. 

"Oh! Those are my friends. I met them yesterday!" she explained happily. 

'Friends…Nessa has more friends…' thought Tom angrily. 'I'm supposed to be her ONLY friend!'


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31:

"Tom, is there something wrong?" asked Nessa as she let go of him. She noticed him staring angrily at her new friends. "Tom,"

His eyes instantly went to her and he dropped the glare. "I thought it was only going to be us that were friends. I didn't know you were going to have anymore," he pouted. Nessa narrowed her eyes at him, which he did not like.

"What's that supposed to mean? You've got new friends of your own over there!" she pointed at the Slytherin group who were waiting for him. 

"They aren't my friends," he muttered. 

"Oh really? Then why were you walking amongst them? Tom, I'm not understanding this," she sighed. "I want friends too. And besides, it's not like you're my mother," 

"Your mother is dead, remember?" he said to her softly. Nessa's eyes narrowed even more.

"I'm well aware of that! But nobody asked you to look out for me and play 'Mummy' with me!" she said sternly. Tom gripped his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

This wasn't good. Her eyes were angry…at him! This wasn't what he wanted at all. Ever since they arrived at Hogwarts, Tom and Nessa were coming apart from each other. Didn't Nessa know that they were the best of friends? Tom wanted to cry, but he felt no wetness in his eyes. 

"Tom," she sighed. "please, let go of me. My friends and I are going off to breakfast. I suppose I'll meet you there?" her voice was solemn and he could not feel any warm presence from her. His heart broke. 

Tom released his grip on Nessa as she motioned for her other "friends" to follow her to the Great Hall. Once they all were together, one of the Gryffindor boys leaned in to her ear and began to whisper. Tom glared at the sight of them. 

"Feh, Gryffindors…Why do you put up with them? I told you that Mudblood Nessa was no good." spat Abraxas. Tom didn't even bring up the energy to tell him off again. Instead, he went on ahead and started for the Great Hall.

'Yeah…Mudblood,'

xXx

"You were friends with a Slytherin?" asked Victor Longbottom to Nessa as they entered the Great Hall. Rockeala led them to their table. 

Nessa sighed. "Well, we were friends before we came to Hogwarts, but then we were separated. I just don't get why he doesn't want me to make new friends. It's like he wants to be my only friend, as if I'm some sort of…outcast or something," she explained.

"No friends? What kind of person wants their friend to have no other friends?" asked Rockeala, disgust in her voice. Nessa shrugged and turned to Kat.

"I guess you were right, Kat; our friendship won't extend anymore. But it seems that it's sort of…ripping apart. I don't want Tom as my enemy; he's my best friend!" she cried. Victor wrapped an arm around Nessa's shoulders for comfort. 

"You'll always have us," he said softly. 

"Yeah, I mean, we're all friends too, right?" added Jason Lummons. Nessa smiled as she wiped her eyes. 

"Thanks, you all are the greatest."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

When Tom entered the Great Hall with his Slytherin crew following him, he instantly saw Nessa being held by the dark brunette that had been whispering in her ear earlier. This infuriated him, and even though he had agreed with Malfoy that she was a Mudblood, this still angered him.

'Nessa is MINE!' he thought. 

'But you had just agreed she was a Mudblood,' said his conscience. 

'Feh…despite that, Nessa still belongs to me! That ignorant Gryffindor prat she's with…'

"Riddle, you imbecile, will you stop staring at that girl and come? Besides, she isn't all that pretty; she's filthy with Muggle-born blood," spat Abraxas. Tom turned angrily on his heels and followed the others. 

As they sat down, Abraxas stated, "Hey, Riddle, I noticed you haven't been back-talking me whenever I'd say something about that girl. Have you finally sided with us, or are you just ignoring me?" he added when he saw Tom glance back at Nessa again. 

Tom turned and grinned at Malfoy. "Both," he said simply. Darrion snickered. 

"Even though she is a Mudblood, she's actually quite pretty," he said. "I don't know why you think she isn't. No wonder Tom has the hots for her," Tom looked at Darrion sternly. 

Aubriella glared. "Hello! I'm still here! What am I then, a dog?" she pouted. 

"We weren't insulting you, so shut up!" spat Abraxas. Aubriella gasped.

"Malfoy, quit it," demanded Arcturus. Aubriella smirked at Abraxas behind Arcturus's back. 

'Some crowd,' thought Tom again. 'I wonder do I really fit in? I guess it seems I do. No wonder Nessa hates me now!' But he thought again.

'Nessa…' he hissed in his mind with disgust. 'Am I really playing "Mummy" with you? Feh…Mudblood…' 

"Mudblood," he said softly. The word poisoned his mouth, but it also gave a tickling sensation on his tongue as he said it. 

"What?" asked Abraxas. Tom shut his mouth coolly. 

"Nothing to your concern, Malfoy," he spat. The others "oooh-ed" and snickered at Abraxas. 

Malfoy scoffed. "Huh, so it seems you're growing a bit of an attitude, eh? You can go over and show it to your flirtatious friend over there," he pointed over to Nessa as Tom followed his finger. Nessa was giggling with the brunette boy…again! 

"You know who that is, don't you? Ah of course you don't…you're still new to the magic world, therefore don't know any Purebloods," said Malfoy. Tom glared.

"Just go on, Malfoy! Who is that prat messing with Nessa?"

"Ah an eager one," he snickered. "That there's Victor Longbottom…and he's filth. Pureblood, yes, but filth. He and his family are blood-traitors," 

"Blood traitors?" 

"A blood-traitor is a Pureblood who sides and protects Muggle-borns," explained Darrion. 

"Exactly. So it wouldn't really surprise me if that lummox was in love with your Nessa," said Abraxas. Tom glared. Yes, it was true he thought Nessa was a Mudblood for talking to him in such a manner, but he still didn't want her with anybody else but him. He was being unfair…but this time, he didn't mind it. He only wanted things to go HIS way.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33:

"Victor! Stop it! Let me eat!" giggled Nessa as Victor continued to tickle her ribs. Kat, Arabella and Rockeala all looked at each other, exchanging the same grins. 

"Looks like Victor's got into a flirting notion," whispered Henry to Jason. Jason nodded and chuckled. 

"Don't you find it adorable? Nessa's not depressed and she isn't thinking about that horrible Tom, all thanks to Victor. He's totally perfect for her," whispered Arabella to Rockeala. Kat heard and nodded at the comment. 

"Definatley," she replied. 

Victor sighed, a wide smile on his face. "Okay okay…I'll let you eat your sodding breakfast," he said then began tickling her some more. 

"Victor! You said you'd stop!" she cried, laughing so hard tears streamed down her face. 

"Hehe, I lied…" he admitted. 

xXx

Tom glared at the two of them. 

"Look at them…they make me sick," he spat. 

"Why don't you do something about it? A fight would surely be a memory for the first day of school," laughed Aubriella. Arcturus laughed along with her. 

"An excellent idea, Aubriella," complemented Abraxas. Aubriella smiled proudly of herself.

"Thank you," she said with a wide smile. 

"Let's see," Abraxas pulled out a slip of paper from his robes and unfolded it on the table. "First class is Potions with Ravenclaws, second is Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs, and—Aha! Third hour, perfect! Third hour is Transfiguration with the snooty Gryffindors. Why don't we ambush him so that Tom can have his tussle to win back his girl?" 

Tom thought it over. It was a well thought out plan…he liked it. 

"When, after class?" he asked. 

"Of course you moron! When'd you expect? During class?" shouted Abraxas. Tom glared at him, as he hated being insulted. 

"Fine then, after class. We ambush Longbottom and I knocked the stuffing out of him." Tom grew an evil grin as he glanced back at Nessa and Victor. "Then Nessa will be mine…"


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34:

When the first year Gryffindor clan had finished their breakfast (once Nessa had a chance to eat), they left the Great Hall and went on to their first class, which was History of Magic. Nessa felt so comfortable with Victor; he was so nice to her, despite the fact they had just met last night. Nessa felt as if she were constructing a small crush on Victor. And little did she know, Victor was feeling the same thing towards her. 

They walked next to each other in their group, Kat on Nessa's other side and Henry on Victor's other side. Arabella, Rockeala, and Jason watched they're behavior from the back. They noticed Victor move his arm closer to Nessa's. Arabella and Rockeala squealed quietly as Jason crossed his arms and chuckled. 

They walked down the corridor of the first floor where they arrived at a door to a classroom. Henry opened it and led the group inside. 

The classroom was set up so that all the desks were lined up to face an old wooden chair with bookshelves surrounding it. The Gryffindor clan walked to their seats: Kat and Nessa sharing a desk, Aubriella and Rockeala, Victor and Henry behind Kat and Nessa and Jason at his own desk behind Aubriella and Rockeala. 

Nessa turned back to see Victor waving at her. She giggled and waved back. When she turned around to face the front, she noticed Kat smiling at her.

"What?" she asked her. Kat sighed.

"It's you and Victor; you two are so cute!" she replied softly. Nessa looked down at her desk and blushed. But a frown took place of her smile.

"You really think so? But, what about Tom? I hate the way our friendship is turning out," she sighed. "Tom was the nicest person ever, to me at least," she added when Kat raised her eyebrows. "But ever since he met those other Slytherins, he's changed, and not in a good way either." she said. 

Kat rested a hand on Nessa's shoulder. "I think it's time you've moved on, Nessa." she said softly. Nessa looked up into her sincere eyes. 

'But it's not that easy. I mean, I've known him since I was five years old, and I've always adored him as a friend. All the memories we share together, all those fun times we spent…Why did it have to come to this? I'm really regretting coming to Hogwarts. If we were still at the orphanage, none of this would have ever happened.' Thinking these thoughts made Nessa want to cry…it was not fair…

xXx

As the time flew by, it was finally time for third hour Transfiguration. Tom eagerly left their Defense Against the Dark Arts class and flew down the hall. 

"Tom! Wait!" called Arcturus. Tom stopped and turned to see the others running up to him. Tom sighed and waited for them to catch up. 

"Heh, looks like someone's eager!" sang Abraxas. Tom grinned.

"If it means taking back Nessa, then of course I'm eager," replied Tom.

"So, you two were actually together?" asked Darrion. Tom's grin dropped. 

"N—no…she was my friend, that's all. I don't want her friends with someone like 'Victor Longbottom,'" sneered Tom.

"But she's a Muggle-born, of course she'd be friends with someone like Longbottom," said Aubriella. 

"Look, all of you just shut up! Nessa's my friend, that's it!" 

"But you admitted that she was a Mudblood," chimed Abraxas. "What kind of person calls their friend a Mudblood?" Tom glared at the four of them as they all stood behind Abraxas. What was he to say after that? Why had he called Nessa a Mudblood? Nessa was the only kind person—besides Mrs. Cole, but even she showed awkwardness towards Tom—to him. She never treated him with disrespect, yet here he was calling her a foul name behind her back. This wasn't Nessa's fault that they had been separated. She did not choose her heritage and she did not choose her fate. But Tom had no one else to blame, and because he was a Slytherin, he needed to show hatred towards Gryffindor, even if it did include Nessa. 

"Nessa Sterling is a Mudblood," muttered Tom. "And I won't pitch this fight for her. I'm pitching it for myself!"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35:

As the Gryffindor clan walked out of their Arithmacy class, Victor held the door open for Nessa. She blushed and smiled at him. 

"Thank you Victor," she said softly. Victor shrugged and pulled her into a one-arm hug. 

"Anything for you, Nessa," he replied. Kat, Rockeala and Arabella all awed. Nessa gave them a sharp look as the three girls laughed, Nessa laughing afterwards too. 

"So, Transfiguration next, huh?" said Henry. Kat nodded.

"Yep!" she replied. 

When they arrived at the door to their classroom, they noticed a group of familiar Slytherins there as well. 

"Uh-oh," said Kat. 

"Tom," whispered Nessa, her voice cracking. Tom took one look at Nessa, his face solemn. He didn't even smile at her with his precious emerald eyes. Nessa felt as if her own eyes were about to pour out tears like water faucets. Their friendship was over.

Tom looked away from Nessa as they entered the classroom. 

"You okay, Ness?" asked Victor, who put a hand on her shoulder. Nessa didn't respond as she went ahead and walked into the classroom. 

Aubriella and Nessa shared a desk while Kat and Rockeala sat behind them. On Nessa's right side was Victor and Henry, Jason sitting in the back of them. 

Nessa glanced over at Tom; he was sitting next to a blonde-headed boy. Tom's elbows rested on the table as he cracked his knuckles. Nessa's face went from depressed to curiosity. 

'What's he cracking his knuckles for?' she wondered. Tom glanced his eyes over to Nessa, his eyes narrowed. 'He's mad at me too? Oh dear…' 

Nessa looked away from Tom and faced the front. There she saw a familiar friendly face. 

"Hello Nessa," Dumbledore said to her with a smile. "Glad to see you in my class." He looked around and also spotted Tom. "Ah and Tom, pleasure to see you as well," Tom glanced at Dumbledore through the corner of his eye, then looked down back at the desk. Dumbledore looked at him curiously then turned to the rest of the class.

"Well, welcome all first years to your first Transfiguration class. I am Professor Dumbledore. Today, we won't be casting any spells, but we will be studying a bit on the history of Transfiguration, just so you know what it is. Now, if you would all please take out your quills and parchment, we can begin the lesson." 

Dumbledore turned to the blackboard in back of him and began jotting stuff down for the students to copy. Victor turned to Nessa.

"Aw man, no wand usage? Bummer," he sighed with a shrug. "I was actually looking forward to doing some wand-waving. Could've been interesting to see what I can transfigure," he chuckled. Nessa smiled. Tom watched the both of them with disgust. 

"Still up for your fight?" whispered Abraxas in Tom's ear. Tom nodded.

"Of course, you sodding moron," he replied harshly, cracking his knuckles again.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36:

Nessa copied all the words Dumbledore had written exactly the way they were. Because this was Dumbledore's class, she wanted to show him what she was capable of and she was eager to getting good grades. 

After class had ended, Dumbledore excused the first years without any homework. Nessa smiled at him and stayed behind while her friends left the class.

"Yes, Nessa?" asked Dumbledore. "Did you enjoy your first Transfiguration class?" Nessa nodded.

"Very much so, sir. I'm so excited for tomorrow!" she exclaimed. Dumbledore smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. 

"Good. You're going to be an excellent student here at Hogwarts, I can tell," he said to her. She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you," she replied and turned to walk out the door. When she reached the doorway, Kat quickly opened the door.

"Nessa! Professor! Please come quick! Tom's trying to fight Victor!" she cried. Nessa widened her eyes and gasped as she turned to Dumbledore. His face was stern as he walked out the class, the two girls following his quick pacing. 

"Where are they, Miss Jones?" asked Dumbledore. 

"They went down that way." she pointed to a turn in the hall. "That's where Tom and another blonde boy grabbed hold of him and dragged him down." she explained. Nessa's heart fell like a sunken ship. Why in the world was Tom doing this? This was so unlike him!

Dumbledore looked down at Nessa. He knew what she was thinking, about Tom. 

"Don't worry Nessa, we'll find out what's going on and stop it," he assured her. She nodded and continued to follow him as they turned the corner. 

There they saw Victor Longbottom on the ground with a bloody nose and Tom raising a fist at him. Nessa and Kat gasped as Kat ran towards Victor. Henry and Jason were trying to take on Abraxas Malfoy as Darrion, Arcturus and Aubriella stood on the side, deciding it wasn't such a great idea to go on with this plan. 

Dumbledore stood and narrowed his eyes.

"Enough!" he boomed. 

"Tom! What's going on?" cried Nessa. Tom looked at her, his eyes glaring. But when he saw her, his firmness lightened. Victor coughed, blood spurting from his mouth and looked up at Nessa, his face a mess. A tear rushed down Nessa's cheek as she ran for Victor Longbottom, hugging his neck. 

"Are you okay?" she asked him. Before he could answer, Nessa looked over at Tom, her eyes glaring and full of hate. "How could you do something like this? What did Victor ever do to you?" Tom continued to glare at her. 

Dumbledore motioned for him to come with him. "Come, Tom," he said. Tom fists clenched tighter and, with one last glare at Nessa, walked over to Dumbledore. 

"Miss Weatherby, would you please escort Mr. Longbottom to the Hospital Wing? The rest of you, return to your classes. No detours." he ordered and led Tom back into his office. 


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37:

That fight had been three years ago, and Nessa and Tom never spoke a word to each other ever again. They even tried not looking at each other, but deep inside, they both knew it was breaking their hearts even more.

Nessa never hung out with Tom at the orphanage when they came back from their first year at Hogwarts. On the ride home, Nessa had sat with her Gryffindor crew, while Tom sat with the Slytherins. Nessa played with Beth and Ingrid and the other girls, while Tom locked himself up in his room, sulking. Nessa showed the girls her new cat, Tommy, and they all loved him. When Livia asked why she named him Tommy, Nessa would stop and break down crying, and she never explained why. 

Fourth year came, as second and third year went by fast. Nessa and Tom packed their luggage cases and dragged their animals down the stairs, Nessa saying good-bye to all her friends, and walked out of the orphanage, not saying one word to each other, not giving each other one glance. 

xXx

Nessa laid in her bed, Tommy curled up against her feet. She was the last one awake, though her eyes were getting tired as well. Slowly, she closed her eyelids and drifted off to sleep.

"What was wrong with him?" muttered Nessa to herself as she, Kat, Arabella, Henry and Jason walked down the dungeon to Potions. 

"He said something about you, Tom did," replied Arabella. Nessa looked at her.

"Like what? What did he say?" she asked. 

"He said something like, 'This isn't for Nessa,' or something like that. He said it pretty softly, so it was kind of hard to hear," said Jason. 

"'This isn't for Nessa?' What's that supposed to mean?" she wondered out loud. "Ever since he saw me with you guys he's been acting strangely. It's like I don't even know him anymore," she said, saddened. 

"It's probably those nasty Slytherins," said Henry. 

"I don't get Tom anymore…I guess we really aren't friends." she muttered. 

Tommy's rough tongue licked Nessa's face gently. It was the next morning and the other girls were already getting ready. Nessa rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Why such the long face, Nessa?" asked Rockeala as she brushed her long black hair. Nessa shook her head.

"Nothing. It's nothing." she replied and got out of bed.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38:

Tom leaned against the stone wall with his arms crossed and glared. 

'What's taking that simpleton so long?' he wondered impatiently. 'We've got to get to the Great Hall already!' 

It was a cold morning in the middle of December. The halls of Hogwarts were decorated festively, along with the Great Hall and in all four common rooms, a large Christmas tree stood next to the fireplace. 

Abraxas Malfoy walked out of the door leading to the boys' dormitories. Tom sneered. 

"What took so long?" he demanded. Abraxas glared. 

"I was packing my things! I already told you I was going home for the holidays, git," he shouted back. Tom raised his chin and scoffed. 

"Feh. Whatever. Let's go," he began to walk towards the passage wall out of the common room. 

"What's the rush, Riddle?" asked Abraxas as they walked out of the common. "And why are you in such a foul mood?"

"Just shut up. You ask too many foolish questions," claimed Tom. Abraxas raised an eyebrow. 

"I won't even bother asking what this is about," he said, crossing his arms. Tom stopped, his eyes widened. 

"What was that?" he asked angrily. "This isn't about that Mudblood, okay? I don't even give a damn about that trash!" he shouted. Abraxas smirked. 

"Of course you don't," he replied. "Darrion, Arcturus and Aubriella already in the Great Hall?" 

Tom's anger relaxed. "Yeah, I told them I was going to wait up for you, but you took so bloody long!" he replied. Abraxas scoffed again and rolled his eyes as they continued their way. 

xXx

"Hey, Nessa!" cried Victor as he, Henry and Jason entered the Great Hall. Nessa stood and turned to them, a huge smile on her face. Victor engulfed her into a tight hug. 

"Hi Victor," she giggled. Kat, Arabella and Rockeala all exchanged looks of excitement.

"Today might be the day!" whispered Kat.

"Yes! The day that Victor finally asks out Nessa!" said Arabella, also in a hushed tone so the others couldn't hear. 

"Sleep well?" asked Victor. Nessa's wide smile dropped a bit. She chuckled nervously. Why today of all days was she thinking of…him?

"I—I did. Thanks for asking," she replied. Victor eyed her curiously, but then dropped it. As Nessa sat down, Henry nudged him in the side.

"Hey, you're still going to ask her, right?" he whispered in his ear. 

"He better! Victor, you've been planning this since the first day you two met! You've got to go through with this!" Jason whispered rapidly. 

"I have time. Besides, now that Nessa and Tom don't even look at each other, I can even wait till we graduate! As long as she and Tom are disconnected, I have all the time in the world. So stop bugging me about it!" snapped Victor. Henry and Jason exchanged disappointed glances and sighed. 


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39:

Tom hissed with anger when he saw Victor and Nessa hugging each other. He was outraged inside his mind and imagined shooting a very nasty curse at Victor right then and there. But he didn't do anything but glare at the two of them. Even though he knew it wasn't her fault, whenever Victor Longbottom was there, he felt he needed not only to loathe him, but to blame Nessa as well. 

"You've gotten your revenge, and looked what happened," said Abraxas. Tom continued to stand and glare at the two of them. He watched as they separated with despise. "That Mudblood should mean nothing to you, Riddle. Forget her!" Abraxas turned on his heels and walked to the Slytherin table, leaving Tom standing there. 

'He's right; Nessa shouldn't mean anything to me. Our friendship ended years ago, there is no use in fighting for her again.' thought Tom. 'But still, I can't help but feel something for her in my heart. I can't seem to get it out. I hate it! I HATE IT!' He slowly proceeded to the Slytherin table as well.

xXx

Nessa stared sadly at her breakfast while the others ate. She couldn't help but keep wondering about Tom and back when they were best friends. She remembered Tom used to be someone she could trust, someone she could talk to when she was in a mood like this, but not anymore. Now, Tom was labeled as an enemy, a rival.

Victor wrapped an arm around Nessa's shoulders. "Ness, are you all right?" he asked sympathetically. 

"Yeah Nessa, you haven't touched your breakfast at all." noticed Kat. Nessa looked up and smiled weakly. 

"I'm okay you guys. I'm fine, really." she assured and stuck her fork into her scrambled eggs. She lifted the fork to her mouth, but suddenly realized she wasn't hungry at all. She was much too depressed to eat. She sighed and lowered the fork back down to her plate. "You know what? I'm going to go on ahead to Transfiguration. I'm not really hungry after all." 

Nessa stood up and grabbed her book bag from the bench. "Nessa! Wait! What's wrong? Please tell us." begged Kat.

"Yes Nessa, what's bothering you?" asked Rockeala.

"Please tell us. We're your friends." Arabella pleaded.

Nessa looked back at the trio's pleading faces. Victor, Jason and Henry also looked saddened by Nessa's solemn mood. She sighed again. "I'm fine you guys. I need to ask Professor Dumbledore about the homework anyways. Please, don't worry about me; I'm fine." she said and walked off.

The six of them exchanged glances of sadness. What was wrong with Nessa they could not understand. 

"What do you think is wrong with her?" wondered Henry as he mixed his porridge absentmindedly. 

Jason shrugged. "I dunno, but Victor should go and figure it out. After all, you're the one who wants to ask her out, mate." 

Victor sighed. "Now's not exactly the best time to do that. And I'm not good with dealing with girls' emotional problems. I wouldn't know how to handle it." he said.

Kat made a sour face. "What good is a boyfriend if they don't know how to comfort their girlfriend?" she asked. "You're going to have to learn how to deal with that sort of thing if you want to ask Nessa out. And especially if you want to ask her out. Remember, Nessa lost her best friend, the one she grew up with. That's probably the reason why she's so sad."

"About Tom? Again? No way. She said she was over him." said Jason.

Kat crossed her arms. "We girls have a way of thinking back on all the men we loved. Nessa loved Tom deep down inside. Maybe not in a romantic way, but in a way that would hurt her if that bond were to break." 

Arabella nodded. "Kat's right. Victor, you must go talk to Nessa. Comfort her and you'll win her over. That's the way to a girl's feelings: you've got to let them know that you are someone they can lean on."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40:

Nessa trudged down the hall, her bag sagging from her shoulder. Ever since Tom had picked that fight with Victor, she had been dreaming about all the happy times they had together back from when they were only living at the orphanage. And every night she dreamed that, she would cry. 

Nessa thought of that face he'd given her when she arrived at the crime scene; that evil, hateful glare. It made her want to cry. She couldn't believe that their close friendship was actually over; it was nothing more than a memory. 

A tear trickled down her cheek as she continued to walk down the empty hall. The stone corridors were cold with the December breeze. She bundled up inside her cloak as she continued to walk. Suddenly, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Nessa, what's wrong?" asked a familiar voice. "Why do you seem so sad?" Nessa turned around to see Victor with his hand on her shoulder, his face looking so saddened. Victor looked deep into her big, brown eyes, noticing the wetness around them. "Nessa…"

"It's…it's nothing…really," her voice cracked, so it was obvious that it wasn't just "nothing". Her lip trembled. "I…I…" Suddenly she burst into more tears. "It's Tom." 

Victor stood there, being helpless. So it was about Tom Riddle. The fact that she was crying over him made his presence extremely uncomfortable for Victor. But he wrapped his arms around her for comfort anyway, remembering what Kat and Arabella said back at the Great Hall. 

And it seemed to be working. Nessa cried into Victor's chest as hard as she could, releasing all of her stress and misery. "All that friendship we built together just crumbled altogether. It's not fair Victor. I…I love him." 

Victor's throat went dry. She loved him…she really did. There was no way he could win Nessa's heart over now; he had waited too long. Now all that planning of how he would ask her went to waste. There was no point in it now. 

But Nessa continued. "He's…he's like a brother to me, Tom is. I can't believe he would betray me like that." Victor's look twisted into utter confusion as he continued to rub Nessa back comfortingly. Like a brother? She loved him like a brother? Had he heard her right? His heart rate began to rise with excitement. His plans had not gone to waste after all! He still had a chance! Victor put more effort into comforting Nessa.

"You know, it's probably the people Tom hangs around. I mean, you say he wasn't like this at all before you came to Hogwarts, right?" asked Victor softly, trying to keep his tone uplifting. 

Nessa sniffed and nodded. "Yes, that's right." 

"Well then, Tom should find better friends. It's very hard to find trustworthy friends who belong to Slytherin, but Tom should find a different crowd, perhaps somebody from a different House." Victor suggested. Nessa's sniffling stopped and she looked up at him, a small smile spread on her face.

"Victor, I think you're right! Tom is acting so mean because he probably wants to fit in with that Slytherin crowd. But if he hangs around nicer people…such as us…" Nessa suddenly squealed. "Tom should hang out with us! Yes! That's an excellent idea! Oh Victor, you're so smart!" She gave Victor a squeeze around the middle, Victor's arms still around Nessa. Victor smiled; Kat and Arabella had been right. Now, the only thing left was to test it out.

"Nessa, I want to ask you something, and I'm hoping you say yes."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41:

Nessa looked up at Victor. He thought she wore the sweetest face, though Nessa had no knowledge of that. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Nessa…I…I don't know an easy way to say this…" he stammered. Nessa smiled at his effort. 

"Don't worry Victor, you can tell me anything," she encouraged. Victor smiled.

"Well, I…I wanted to know if…if you would…go out…with me…" he asked softly. Nessa widened her eyes and gasped softly. Victor looked at her with desperate eyes. "I really, really like you, Nessa, ever since we first met. I've always thought you the prettiest girl in the whole entire world." he sighed. "But if you don't think the same of me, then I'll understand." The last part he added sounded a bit glum. 

Nessa looked down and her hands. "Victor, I don't know what to say," she said. She looked up at him. "I like you too, but I'm not sure if I like somebody else as well," Victor knew who she meant. His lower lip twitched as he thought of Tom. "I don't want to hurt you, Victor, but I don't want to go out with you if I'm in love with another boy as well. Do you get what I mean?" Her voice was sincere. 

"Yes, I understand," Victor muttered. He tried his best to hold his tears back in; he didn't want to cry because he had just been rejected, especially in front of Nessa. She placed a hand on his arm.

"But I do consider you a very close friend. It's just, right now, I don't know if I can handle having a boyfriend at the moment. I've been going through a lot of stress and—" She wanted to say heart-braking memories of Tom. But that would make her burst into tears again and she didn't want to start crying again. 

Victor didn't say anything but stared at the floor. He refused to look at Nessa right now. "Okay, well, I'm sorry to have bothered you," he said after a long period of silence.

"Oh Victor, it was no bother," Nessa claimed. "But I'm really sorry. I hope we can still be friends?" she asked. 

Victor sighed heavily. "Yeah, of course,"

xXx

The Gryffindor group tried to keep Victor's rejection from Nessa a secret, but somehow one of the Slytherins had gotten hold of the information and the news was gossiped throughout the school. 

Abraxas Malfoy strutted in to the boys' dorm one evening. Tom was lying back, trying to keep his mind off of Nessa by reading a book from the library. Darrion and Arcturus had been playing cards. 

"I've just heard the most thrilling news that I know Riddle would like to hear," Malfoy chimed. Tom looked up from his book and eyed Malfoy suspiciously. 

"Well, let's hear it," he said impatiently. Darrion and Arcturus looked up from their cards. 

Malfoy grinned. "Well I heard that just a couple days ago Victor Longbottom had asked out your Nessa," Tom widened his eyes with anger. 

"What did she say?" he asked through gritted teeth. Malfoy glared. 

"Impatient are we?" he scoffed, but then grinned, which made Tom even angrier. "Well, the mudblood refused." Arcturus and Darrion dropped their cards with shock. Tom's angry glare disappeared and his face spread into astonishment. 

"You're lying, aren't you?" Tom said in disbelief. Malfoy shook his head. 

"Wish I was, but no. She turned him down. And what's even better is that she turned him down…for you." Malfoy said, looking directly at Tom. Tom's eyes widened.

"What?" he whispered. 'Nessa, do…do you love me too?'


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42:

It had been very awkward being around Victor after Nessa had just let him down. But what was even worse was that the whole school had somehow gotten a hold of their little secret and it spread everywhere. 

The Gryffindor group walked together to their last class of the day, which was Charms with the Slytherins. It had been a week since Nessa had rejected Victor's propose and she could not stop thinking about Tom. She was so confused as to why she would have a strange feeling for him when he was such a mean person. 

When they entered the classroom, Nessa spotted Tom instantly. She quickly looked away from him. When she sat down next to Arabella, she whispered, "Nessa, Tom is staring at you." Nessa's cheeks flushed a cherry red against her ivory-colored skin. 

"Why? Why is he looking at me?" she asked in a whisper. 'But it actually makes me feel nervous. Oh how I hope we can become friends again,' she thought. 

"Nessa?" Arabella asked, snapping Nessa out of her thoughts. 

Nessa shook her head and she came back to reality. "Yes?"

"You were staring out into space for the longest time," she said.

"Well, at least Riddle's not staring at her like she's a three-legged dog," said. Jason from behind them. Nessa heard Victor grunt a "good". 

Nessa looked down at her table. 'I remember when we were the closest of friends and I never wanted to leave your side. And that was because, Tom, I was in love with you.'

"Okay children! Stay with your buddy while we walk to the park okay?" Mrs. Cole announced to the crowd of excited children. Nessa and Tom looked at each other. Nessa smiled widely and Tom gave her a tiny shy smile in return. "Okay children! Follow me!" 

Mrs. Cole led the orphans out of the orphanage and down a sidewalk where they stayed on most of the way. The local park was not that far away from the orphanage, just a few blocks down. Tom and Nessa held hands just like the other seven year olds were instructed to do. 

About five minutes later, a grassy field with a swing-set, slide, and see-saw came into view and the children squealed with joy. Nessa looked at Tom with an excited face. Tom felt the joy of being outside as well. Mrs. Cole occasionally took the children on picnics only if the weather was nice and the children were behaving. Today happened to be one of the days and the children loved being outside. 

"Okay, before you all get to play, we're going to eat first, alright?" Mrs. Cole said when they approached the field. They all followed her to a spot on the nice soft grass and crowded around her, waiting to receive their sandwiches. 

After the children had finished their lunch, Mrs. Cole allowed them to go play. Nessa dragged Tom directly over to the see-saw. 

"This is my favorite!" she squealed as she hopped on. Tom climbed on the other side. Nessa pushed down on the ground and her side of the see-saw rose up. Tom copied her and then his side rose. Nessa roar with her cute laughter. Tom couldn't help but let out a small laugh from the fun he was having. 


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

Tom shook his head of his thoughts. Nobody knew it, not even himself, but he and Nessa were experiencing the same flashback. He sighed. That was one of the best days of his life, all the fun he had on that day. He had never remembered laughing as much as he did on that day, the memory almost made him want to cry.

He snuck a glance at Nessa; her eyes were glued to her desk. He sighed. Then he noticed Victor Longbottom sitting behind her and the blonde girl she was sitting next to. Tom glared at the boy and smirked. 'She doesn't like you, you unlucky prat.' he thought. 

Class ended and the class gathered their belongings and walked out of the classroom. Nessa was still copying down homework when the other Gryffindors headed out the door.

"Nessa, you coming?" called Kat from the doorway. Nessa looked up.

"No, I'll catch up with you later, okay?" she answered. Kat gave her an unsure look whether to leave her alone or not, but quickly decided to just leave. Nessa scribbled the homework that was written on the chalkboard on a piece of parchment. 

As Nessa finished writing the homework, she stuffed the parchment into her bag and headed out the door. She walked down the hallway when she heard footsteps echoing from behind her. She spun around.

Tom Riddle walked behind her, far apart from her. They exchanged glances and Nessa quickly looked away as she sped up her pace. 

Tom ran up to her and grabbed her arm. "Nessa, wait," he said to her. 

Nessa slowly looked up into his eyes. She didn't see any of the cruelty in his eyes. Instead, his eyes sparkled with the kind, shy little boy she used to know. 

"Going to call me a Mudblood again?" she asked with resent. Tom sighed and looked away. Nessa did as well. Tom looked back at her. With his finger, he brought her chin to face him. 

"No, no I'm not," he replied, looking into her eyes. "I wouldn't dare say that to you, Nessa," 

Nessa saw his eyes glisten. She widened her eyes. "Tom, do you really mean that?" she asked. 

Then, without warning, Tom embraced Nessa in a long, comforting hug. His fingers entangled in her long brown hair as she was pressed against his cold body. Tears began to form in her eyes as she realized this was Tom Riddle, and he was back to his normal self.

Tom stopped hugging her, but he didn't let go of her arms. "Nessa, I'm so sorry. I wake up every night in the middle of the night thinking of how much of a dolt I've been to you and I realize that being a prat won't make anything better. I've remembered how much you mean to me and that I've loved you from the moment I first saw you. I love you Nessa, I really do!" 

Nessa was crying. She couldn't help it; the tears just kept pouring out. "Oh, Tom," she sobbed. She took hold of the sides of his face and reached up to kiss him. Tom held her close to him and kissed her back, thinking that there was no way in the world they could fight any longer. Three years of fighting was a lot more than enough. Three long, stressful, angry years. It was finally time to stop.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44:

Nobody found out about the secret that Tom and Nessa shared because they didn't tell anybody after they parted. 

"Tom, I'm so happy," Nessa said, still with teary eyes. Tom grinned at her. 

"I'm happy too," Tom replied. 

"You're really back to the way you were from the orphanage. You're not that cruel person anymore." said Nessa. Tom nodded and pecked her on the forehead. 

"I am. I really am." 

"But what about you're friends? They don't like me and they won't like you once they find out you've kissed someone like me," Nessa said looking away from Tom, ashamed. 

"Hey," Tom said, lifting her chin back to him. "there is nothing wrong with the way you are. You're perfect, and that's that. I don't care if you're Muggle-born. I found out that magic existed the same time as you did. Besides, I'm half Muggle as well. And about the others, they won't find out. I won't tell them." 

"But will that mean that you're going to continue the way you are towards me?" asked Nessa. upset. 

"If I do, remember that it's only an act, okay? I promise I won't mean any of the harsh things I say to you." he said. 

"What about my friends?" 

Tom hesitated. He could really care less about Nessa's friends, but he didn't want to upset her. "And you're friends," he promised. Nessa grew a smile, which made Tom smile as well. She hugged around his middle tightly as Tom smoothed her back. "Everything will be fine,"

xXx

A month had passed by and still nobody had found out about Nessa and Tom. It was hard for them to express their feelings for each other, though. They rarely evened looked at each other without Tom giving nasty looks. But when the others weren't around, Tom would sneak in a smile to send to Nessa. 

Nessa sniffed the nice spring air as she sat outside with her friends. It was a Saturday and, fortunately, all of them had caught up on their homework, leaving the extra free time to hang out with each other. 

Hogsmeade Village was a tad bit crowded, as it was a Saturday. But the seven of them thought the day was too nice to go back to Hogwarts. Besides, there was a lovely view of the lake from where they sat. 

But suddenly, their perfect moment was crushed by the horrid gang of Slytherins with Tom Riddle leading the group.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45:

"Well, look what we have here," Tom sneered as the Slytherin gang snickered behind him. 

"How fascinating," Abraxas mocked. "The goody-good Gryffindor groupies," They snickered even louder again. Nessa flashed desperate eyes to Tom, but he ignored them. 

'Remember, it's just an act,' Nessa thought to herself. 'He doesn't mean it. He promised,'

"Look at that lug Longbottom!" Abraxas snorted. Victor glared. Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, ready to fight, Longbottom? Ready to get the stuffing kicked out of you again? You might lose a few pounds…" Tom snickered. The Slytherins laughed obnoxiously. 

"Oh shut it!" Kat cried out. 

"He's not even fat, you moron!" Rockeala claimed. Nessa sighed and looked away. 

"Nessa, do something!" whispered Arabella. 

"Why me? He won't listen to me! He'll just call me a Mudblood again," she whispered back, though she knew it wasn't true. 

"Aww, are we hurting your feelings, you big lummox!" Malfoy laughed and kicked dirt at Victor. 

Victor grew outraged. He stood up and punched Malfoy in the jaw. Everyone gasped.

"No Victor! Stop!" Nessa cried, holding back Victor's fist as he readied himself to hit Malfoy again. Victor sneered and dropped his fist. He turned to look at Nessa's worried face and looked away. 

Malfoy was on the floor, spitting out blood. He wiped his mouth. "I don't need your support, you filthy little Mudblood!" he spat. Tom's eyebrows rose. His lip twitched. Nessa widened her eyes with hurt. Then suddenly, Tom was on him, knocking the living daylights out of him. 

"Don't EVER call Nessa a Mudblood!" he screamed. Nessa gasped and tears rushed down her face. Everybody looked at Tom with confusion. 

"Riddle stop! Get off of him!" cried Darrion. Aubriella and Arcturus watched with utter confusion. 

Finally, Tom got off of Abraxas, who was now a complete and total mess with blood everywhere. Tom's knuckles were red with his blood. He whipped out his wand and pointed it to his neck. "Never insult Nessa Sterling ever again, or I will finish you off in an instant." he threatened. Everyone watched with amazement. Darrion and Arcturus helped Abraxas up from off the ground. Abraxas wore an angry expression, but also fearful at the same time. Tom glared. 

"You filthy Pureblood. You make me sick," Tom spat. Abraxas sneered and Darrion and Arcturus helped him walk back to the castle, Aubriella trailing close to Arcturus from behind. 

Tom looked at Nessa, then noticing his hands. "I'm sorry. I think I got a little too carried away," he admitted. Nessa smiled. 

"You stood up to that fool," Nessa said. "There's no need to apologize for that," She kissed her hero passionately in front of everyone. The Gryffindor group were astonished; was Nessa Sterling really kissing Tom Riddle? And was that really Tom Riddle beating the stuffing out of Abraxas Malfoy, a fellow Slytherin to him? 

"I should wash up, shouldn't I?" Tom asked. Nessa giggled. 

"Yes, you should," she replied. After that Tom went off to the men's lavatory to wash his hands. And while he was gone, Nessa's friends had so much to ask her.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46:

"Nessa, what's going on between you and Riddle? I thought you two were fighting," Kat asked immediately after Tom was out of sight. "I don't understand what's going on. And he just destroyed Malfoy's face…for you!"

"Kat, please, you're asking too many questions at once," Nessa said. "I can explain," 

"Please start because I think we're all pretty anxious," Jason said. 

Nessa sighed. "Well, we've made up. We aren't fighting anymore,"

"That's obvious," Victor grunted. Nessa tossed him a look. 

"And well, we're in…love, you can say," she gulped. Victor's lip twitched with disgust. The others' mouths just dropped.

"You're…in love with each other? Are you two dating?" asked Arabella. Nessa shrugged.

"Well, he didn't ask me, but I was too overwhelmed with tears after he apologized and told me he loved me since the first time he saw me. And then I lost control and kissed him," she explained. 

"How could you fall in love with someone who is so evil?" asked Rockeala. 

"He's not evil! Did you not see what he just did to Malfoy? Tom's back to the way he used to be. He's gotten a hold of his senses. He's changed," Nessa claimed. 

Kat sighed. "Well, that was pretty cool what he did to Malfoy. I mean, isn't he his friend?" 

"He was," Nessa replied, putting a lot of emphasis on "was". 

Kat smiled and hugged Nessa. "Well, then I'm okay with you loving him," she said. Nessa smiled back. 

"Thanks Kat," Nessa said. 

Victor looked at the two of them. "You really love him, Ness?" he asked disappointed. Nessa looked over to Victor to find he wore a saddened face. But Nessa couldn't lie to him.

"Yes, Victor, I do," She almost felt like crying; she was breaking his heart by saying this and she didn't like it. "But Victor, I hold you very dear to me, just like a brother," Victor nodded. He didn't want to be like "a brother", but he had no other choice. 

"That's fine," he said with a smile. "I'm happy for you," Nessa smiled at him and gave him a tight, heart-warming hug. 

"Oh Victor," she whispered. 

They parted and Tom came back, his hands peachy clean. He didn't wear that evil look, but a more lightened-up look that Nessa was happy to see. 

"So, uh, I guess I've got a lot of explaining to do," he chuckled nervously. Kat grinned.

"No, we pretty much get what's been going on and we forgive you," she said. Tom smiled. 

"Thanks," he replied. And they all walked through the village, Nessa and Tom hand in hand together.


End file.
